Preparations have begun for the initial fuel loading of the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, with the first shipment of fuel assemblies for its VVER-1200 reactor arriving in Bangladesh, Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has said.
According to a Rosatom press release, the fuel was manufactured at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant in Siberia and transported to Bangladesh by a specialised cargo aircraft. Upon arrival at the Rooppur project site, the fuel containers were placed in designated storage facilities.
Before loading into the reactor, each fuel assembly will undergo a technical inspection by a joint commission comprising representatives from Bangladesh, the project’s general contractor and the fuel manufacturer. The process will follow nuclear and radiation safety protocols, the release said.
A separate shipment of fresh fuel for the first unit’s upcoming refuelling has also arrived in Bangladesh. Refuelling is scheduled to take place after the first unit completes its initial fuel cycle.
Rosatom said initial fuel loading for the first unit’s reactor core was completed in 2026. The reactor reached its minimum controllable power level this month.
Before the unit can supply electricity to the national grid, it must undergo a series of power-escalation tests and receive approval from the regulatory authority.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has two Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors based on Russian designs, with a combined generation capacity of 2,400MW. Rosatom’s engineering division serves as the project’s principal designer and contractor.
