Rosatom State Corporation has started to load fuel into the first unit of the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, the company said.
“On April 28, 2026, the loading of fresh nuclear fuel began at Unit 1 of the Rooppur NPP [the general contractor and general designer of which is Rosatom’s Engineering Division]. This was the first stage of the unit’s key start-up phase,” the company said in a statement.
It said 163 fuel assemblies would be loaded into the reactor core. “The reactor will then be brought to its minimum controlled level (MCL), that is, a stable, manageable power level, after which a gradual ramp-up will begin. The next stage will be the power start-up, when the generated electricity will begin to enter into the Bangladesh power grid,” the company said.
Rosatom has been constructing the plant based on an intergovernmental agreement signed in 2011. The NPP will comprise two power units with a combined capacity of 2400 MW. Energy-deficient Bangladesh currently has no nuclear power generation.
Rosatom state nuclear energy corporation expects to begin commissioning the second power unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh next year, Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev told reporters.
“We also plan to begin commissioning the second power unit next year,” Likhachev said.
Likhachev added that the first power unit is scheduled to begin pilot operation by the end of the year.
Likhachev also said that Bangladesh is interested in other proposals from Rosatom. “Both the prime minister and the minister asked us about other possible proposals, particularly small nuclear power plants and floating nuclear power plants, which are included in our combined proposal from Rosatom [to other countries],” Likhachev said.
Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi congratulated Bangladesh and Rosatom on the first fuel loading at Rooppur. This is a remarkable achievement, he said in a video message. A new future is opening up for Bangladesh with clean energy, which will be key to the country’s economic development, he said.
Grossi recalled that the IAEA had supported Bangladesh’s nuclear program since its inception, ensuring that every step the country takes in the peaceful use of nuclear energy is carried out in the best, safest and most secure manner.
He said today was a great day for Bangladesh and a very, very good day for everyone around the world who trusts in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Nuclear energy is a long-term project, and the IAEA will be with you every step of the way, Grossi said.
It was reported last week that Rosatom specialists had conducted a final readiness check of Unit 1 at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh, and the state nuclear energy corporation has received its operating license.
The unit will be brought up to the minimum controllable power level in 2026, followed by the power startup phase, which includes the supply of electricity to the Bangladesh grid.
Source: Interfax