Bangladesh -- Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant completion.

[ghazi52]

 

[ghazi52]

Russia's Rosatom begins loading fuel into Bangladesh's first nuclear plant​

By Reuters
April 28, 2026

MOSCOW/DHAKA, April 28 (Reuters) - Russian nuclear energy corporation Rosatom has begun loading nuclear fuel into the first reactor at the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, it said on Tuesday.

This first step in the reactor's ‌start‑up phase is followed by an increase to its minimum controlled power level, with power then increased gradually to supply electricity to a Bangladesh grid that comes under strain every summer as rising temperatures drive up demand.

Officials say generation will start at low levels with full output not expected until 2027.

That leaves ⁠the country still facing an energy crunch this year because of the war in the Middle East. Bangladesh relies heavily on imported oil and gas, much of it from the Middle East, where shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have been disrupted since fighting began in late February.

The Rooppur nuclear plant, with planned power generation capacity of 2,400 megawatts across two reactors, will add Bangladesh to the list of more than 30 nations that have operating reactors.

The estimated project cost is about $13 billion, with Russia providing ‌a ⁠state loan covering 90% of that.


Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev said that Bangladeshi Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had confirmed the government's commissioning of the first unit and its approval to complete the rest of the plant in talks on Tuesday.

Rosatom plans to commission the first unit by July ⁠2026 and the second unit in 2027.

Bangladesh’s Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam said the plant’s first reactor is expected to begin commercial operation in August, with officials estimating an initial ⁠supply of about 300 megawatts following fuel loading and safety tests.

He said that about 1,100 megawatts from the 1,200 MW Unit 1 are expected to be fed ⁠into the national grid by the first week of January next year, with the unit reaching full capacity later that month.

 

[ghazi52]

Bangladesh enters nuclear energy era​

Fuel loading begins at unit-1 of Rooppur plant today

28 April 2026

Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu
Asifur Rahman

Bangladesh moves a step closer to achieving its long‑cherished goal of generating nuclear energy this afternoon with the start of fuel loading into the reactor core of unit‑1 at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, marking the transition from the construction to the startup phase.

What fuel loading at Rooppur means for our energy future​

With this milestone, Bangladesh is poised to join a select group of a little over 30 nuclear power‑producing countries and become the third South Asian country, after India and Pakistan, to generate nuclear energy.

 

[ghazi52]

How power is generated at a nuclear plant​

Once both units become fully operational, the plant will generate 2,400 MW, accounting for around 10 percent of the country’s installed electricity generation capacity.

Unit-1 was slated for completion in 2022, but it faced delays due to several factors, including soil stabilisation issues, the Covid-19 pandemic, setbacks in grid line construction, and logistical disruptions caused by the Russia-Ukraine war.

Consequently, the total cost rose to Tk 1,38,685 crore from Tk 1,13,089 crore. The addition of 10 new project components, the depreciation of taka, and revised costs for maintenance and advisory services also contributed to this cost overrun.

According to officials, unit-2 is nearing completion and is expected to start commercial operation in 2028.

At present, Bangladesh has an installed generation capacity of 28,919MW from 136 power plants, including government, non-government, and imported sources. However, over 95 percent of this capacity relies on fossil fuels, of which 70 percent is imported.

Despite having high capacity on paper, the country often struggles to meet daily demand of under 18,000MW due to fuel shortages, a problem compounded by the US‑Israel war on Iran. Experts say the demand could exceed 30,000MW by 2030.

 

[ghazi52]

Planning


The plan to establish a nuclear power plant in the then East Pakistan was made in 1961.

In 1963, the Rooppur village of the Pabna district was selected for the proposed plant and 260 acres of land was acquired.The plan was to establish a 200MW nuclear power plant on the selected site. The plan to construct a 200 MW power plant was completed in 1969 with the assistance of Belgium. Pakistan government.

After Bangladesh separated from Pakistan, the government of Bangladesh resumed the effort to construct the 200-megawatt nuclear power plant. From 1977–86, the French company MS Sofratom carried out a feasibility study and determined that the Rooppur project was viable.

Subsequently, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved a 125 MW nuclear power plant.

However, the project did not materialize. In 1987–88, another feasibility study was conducted by Lahmeyer International and Motor Columbus which again proved that the site was technically, economically, and financially viable for a 300–500 MW nuclear power plant. Between 1997 and 2001, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) embarked on a new initiative to develop a nuclear power plant with a capacity of 600 MW.

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[ghazi52]

DHAKA: Bangladesh will begin loading uranium fuel into its first nuclear power station on Tuesday (Apr 28), a key step towards bringing the 2,400 megawatt plant online to ease pressure on the overstretched power grid.

When operating, it could meet up to 10 per cent of the power demands of the South Asian nation of 170 million people, according to the government.

Construction began on the US$11 billion Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in 2017, with initial power generation of around 300 MW hoped to come online by August, before full production in late 2027.

"A controlled nuclear fission chain reaction will be initiated in the reactor core, once fuel loading is completed," Saikat Ahmed, the plant's senior scientific information officer, told AFP. "This marks the start of the physical start-up phase."

 

[BananaRepublic]

View attachment 194803


DHAKA: Bangladesh will begin loading uranium fuel into its first nuclear power station on Tuesday (Apr 28), a key step towards bringing the 2,400 megawatt plant online to ease pressure on the overstretched power grid.

When operating, it could meet up to 10 per cent of the power demands of the South Asian nation of 170 million people, according to the government.

Construction began on the US$11 billion Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in 2017, with initial power generation of around 300 MW hoped to come online by August, before full production in late 2027.

"A controlled nuclear fission chain reaction will be initiated in the reactor core, once fuel loading is completed," Saikat Ahmed, the plant's senior scientific information officer, told AFP. "This marks the start of the physical start-up phase."

The Sheikh Hasina nuclear power plant will provide 10% of BD’s needs.

Bangladesh needs to get to 25% nuclear generation.

Has Tareq and BNP got the intellect and geopolitical skills to build another power station.

Second one should be a lot easier to build.

Bangladesh needs to wean itself away from fossil fuels.

 

[Feroze]

Mash'Allah, congratulations! The nuclear reactor looks quite great!

 

[ghazi52]

Bangladesh nuclear plant draws hope - and worry​

AFP
October 08, 2026

2.4-gigawatt Rooppur nuclear plant, a $13-billion project

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BANGLADESH/ PABNA: Bangladesh is preparing to switch on its first nuclear power plant, a long-delayed project promising relief from chronic electricity shortages -- even as some fear living beside it.

The 2.4-gigawatt Rooppur nuclear plant, a $13-billion project more than a decade in the making, has transformed the once sleepy nearby village of the same name, bringing Russian workers, new businesses and jobs.

Once fully operational, its two reactors are expected to supply more than 10 percent of electricity demand in the South Asian nation of 170 million people, which has been hit hard by the fuel crisis sparked by the conflict in the Middle East.

For Md Zahedul Hasan, managing director of state-owned Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh, the giant complex represents the culmination of a decades-old ambition to bring nuclear power to the country.

The plant's first reactor is scheduled to be turned on by the end of this year, and the second unit "will be operational within a year", Hasan said at the site on the banks of the Padma River, 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of Dhaka.

Bangladesh's power sector is dominated by fossil fuels, particularly natural gas, with coal, oil and renewables making up the rest.

The project, built with Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom, has also brought an unlikely Russian enclave to rural Bangladesh.

Thousands of Russian workers have spent years building and installing equipment, with a residential complex, shops and restaurants springing up around them.

Shop signs appear in Bangla, English and Russian, while some restaurants serve borscht soup alongside local dishes.

 

[ghazi52]

The ambition to build a nuclear power plant at Rooppur dates back to the 1960s.

Several attempts came after independence, including approaches to Saudi Arabia and France, and talks with China and South Korea. No deals materialised.

Bangladesh finally signed an agreement with Moscow in 2015, with the Russian state offering a loan covering about 90 percent of the project's original cost.

Construction began in 2017.

The project has since faced delays, including disruption from the Covid-19 pandemic and sanctions on Russia after its invasion of Ukraine, which complicated equipment deliveries and payments.

There have also been corruption allegations surrounding the project, including against ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and members of her family. They have rejected the accusations.

 

[Pioneer]

Congratulations. Russia has finally done something good.