Technical fault delays 300MW Rooppur power supply: Minister

Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam said on Thursday that a technical fault in a valve has delayed the planned supply of around 300 megawatts of electricity from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant to the national grid.

The plant has entered the fuel-loading stage, but the fault has prevented it from advancing to the critical stage, pushing back the target of supplying electricity within four to six months of fuel loading beginning on 28 April.

“We have started fuel loading at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. Around 300 megawatts was our target,” he said at a press conference marking 180 days of the BNP government.

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The minister said one of three pairs of valves was not opening as expected at the required pressure despite passing temperature and pressure tests, halting progress towards the critical stage.

“We are stuck here. There is nothing to rush in such a matter,” he said, adding that scientists, including the chief Russian designer, were working to resolve the problem.

He said repairs were expected to take one to one and a half months.

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During a visit to Washington last week, Faqir Mahbub said he had raised the issue with Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev, who assured him that larger scientific teams would be sent to investigate the fault.

The minister said such setbacks were not unusual in large-scale projects, noting that similar nuclear plants typically took at least a decade to become operational, while Bangladesh had achieved it in nine years.

“I request you to be patient about our nuclear power plant. Inshallah, it will be the biggest project in Bangladesh,” he said, describing the delay as unfortunate amid the country’s ongoing electricity and gas crises.