First Batch of Nuclear Fuel Delivered to Unit 2 of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh

Recently, Rosatom announced that the first batch of fresh nuclear fuel for Unit 2 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh has been successfully delivered to the project site and is currently being properly stored in a dedicated storage facility.

It is reported that this batch of nuclear fuel assemblies was manufactured at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, a production facility of Rosatom's TVEL Fuel Company, and was delivered through combined air and road transport. A joint inspection team composed of Bangladeshi experts, the general contractor, and manufacturing plant representatives is conducting mandatory incoming inspections at the site, including visual and instrumental testing, to ensure that the fuel fully complies with technical specifications.

As Unit 2 receives its first batch of fuel, the construction and operation of Unit 1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant have also achieved milestone breakthroughs. Unit 1 obtained its operating license in April this year and completed the loading of 163 fuel assemblies, subsequently achieving criticality — a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction — on October 11. In the autumn of this year, Rosatom also delivered nuclear fuel for the first refueling of Unit 1 to the site, making full preparations for the unit to complete its first one-year fuel cycle.

The project was established under a cooperation agreement signed between Rosatom and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) in 2011, with Units 1 and 2 officially commencing construction in November 2017 and July 2018, respectively. After the first batch of fuel was delivered to the site in October 2023, the site was officially designated as a nuclear facility, marking Bangladesh's successful entry into the ranks of nuclear energy nations.

With Unit 1 successfully achieving criticality and the smooth delivery of nuclear fuel for Unit 2, full commercial operation of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is imminent. The completion of this project will greatly alleviate Bangladesh's power supply shortage, optimize its national energy structure, and also demonstrate Rosatom's strong delivery capabilities in international nuclear power plant construction and nuclear fuel supply.