Power generation timeline likely to slip
Fuel loading at Unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has been delayed again due to a lack of clearance from the regulatory authority, missing the previously scheduled April 7 timeline set by the Ministry of Science and Technology.
“Although we were preparing to launch fuel loading at Unit-1 on April 7, the commissioning licence was not cleared in time; therefore, it is not possible to begin according to the original schedule,” Md Anwar Hossain, secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, told The Daily Star.
He said it was not possible to confirm a revised date at this stage, as the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) is still reviewing the required documents.
“Fuel loading depends entirely on the regulatory authority’s clearance. The schedule will be confirmed once the licence is issued,” he added.
The ministry had earlier fixed April 7 after the Russian contractor overseeing the project officially notified the government of the timeline.
Under that schedule, the plant was expected to begin electricity production and supply at least 300MW by July this year, reaching its full capacity of 1,200MW by December.
However, sources said the fresh delay in fuel loading would inevitably push back the power generation timeline.
Project officials said the fuel loading process takes about one month, followed by roughly two months to reach the chain reaction stage required for power production. It would take at least 10 to 11 months from the start of fuel loading to achieve full-scale generation.
Despite the missed deadline, officials from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) said they expect to begin fuel loading by the end of this month.
Construction, necessary tests and inspections have reportedly been completed.
“The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has completed all construction work and necessary tests at Unit-1. The entire process was largely finalised last month,” said Soikat Ahmed, focal point officer (media) for the plant.
A high-ranking BAEC official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant has encountered multiple challenges as it moves towards commissioning.
“The regulatory authority is an independent body; they will only approve the commissioning licence once they are 100 percent satisfied with the safety protocols,” he said.
When contacted, Dr Mahabubur Rahman, project director of Nuclear Regulatory Infrastructure — the key wing of BAERA responsible for licence approval, declined to speak, saying he was at the Rooppur site working on the review.
Unit-1 is in the final stages of commissioning, while Unit-2 is over 70% complete. Since construction began in 2017, about 81% of the $12.65 billion project budget has been spent.
Originally slated for completion in 2022, the project has already faced a three-year delay.
Last year, Bangladesh and Russia agreed to extend the timeline to late 2027 to complete both units.
However, with Unit-1 yet to begin commissioning, meeting the revised deadline remains uncertain.
Source: The Daily Star