Uranium for Rooppur Power Plant Unit-2 reaches Dhaka

The first batch of uranium for the second unit of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Pabna reached Dhaka from Russia late on Friday.

The Russian cargo plane Ilyushin Il-76 landed at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:44pm on Friday.

An official from Triune (Pte) Ltd confirmed the flight’s arrival, adding it travelled through Kazakhstan, Turkemenistan, India, and also Pakistan, which had blocked an earlier fuel transport plan on 24 September.

Now, it would take nearly four hours to transport the uranium from the aircraft to a car.

Afterwards, around 4am Saturday, a special vehicle convoy will leave HSIA and head for the power plant in Ishwardi, Pabna.

The Bangladesh Army and district-level police officers will ensure security for the convoy as it travels to Pabna.

Uranium for the first unit reached the country in 2023.

This year, in total, nine cargoes of uranium are expected to reach Dhaka from Russia. Seven of the cargoes are destined for use in the second unit, and the remaining two cargoes are aimed at replenishing stocka.