Rooppur safety valve issue resolved, fuel arrives today

The safety-valve problem at Unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has been resolved, with a high-pressure test successfully completed as the first shipment of nuclear fuel for Unit-2 is due to arrive in Dhaka today.
The Pressure Operated Relief Valve (PORV), a key safety component of the reactor, was successfully tested at a pressure of 16 megapascals (MPa) on Wednesday after the technical issue was resolved, said Dr Zayedul Hasan, managing director of Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd (NPCBL). The test, which began the previous night, was conducted from both the Main Control Room and the Emergency Control Room, he said.
During the test, the performance of the control valves was checked before the operation and response of the relevant Main Safety Valves were examined. The response of the valves, opening and closing functions, alarms and other operational parameters were monitored.
Hasan said that the test was conducted in line with approved procedures and required safety conditions. Communication systems, fire safety and radiation protection measures were also checked before and during the test.
He said that the successful completion of the PORV test marked an important step in the commissioning of Unit-1, as the system is directly linked to maintaining safe pressure in the reactor’s primary system.
He stressed that safety would remain the top priority throughout the commissioning process and that no compromise would be made with safety to meet the project schedule.
Another test at around 18 MPa is expected to be conducted in the next stage as the commissioning team continues to verify each stage before moving to the next.
The safety-valve issue had earlier cast uncertainty over the start of electricity generation from Unit-1. Repeated problems with the PORV installed in the reactor’s pressuriser had complicated the commissioning process.
The valve helps control excessive pressure in the primary cooling system and is considered an important reactor safety component.
Officials had said that Russia’s nuclear engineering contractor JSC ASE had proposed transferring a pilot-operated relief valve from Unit-2 to Unit-1 to help resolve the problem.
On 3 September, Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam said that the safety-valve problem had delayed the planned start of power supply from Unit-1 to the national grid, although no specific timeline for resolving the issue or starting power generation had been announced at the time.
Following discussions with Russia, a five-member Russian expert team arrived at Rooppur on 22 September. Bangladeshi and Russian experts subsequently worked together to resolve the PORV issue and complete the required testing, according to the NPCBL managing director.

First nuclear fuel shipment arrives today
The first shipment of nuclear fuel for Unit-2 is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka around Friday noon. Rosatom, Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation and the contractor for the Rooppur project, said that fuel deliveries for Unit-2 would begin in October and continue through December. The fuel will be transported on several flights in line with the contract and project schedule.
A senior NPCBL official said that the fuel would normally be transported from the airport to the Rooppur site under special security arrangements. If the first shipment arrives on Friday, it may be transported by road to the project site in Ishwardi on Saturday.
The Unit-2 fuel deliveries are expected to be made through a total of seven chartered flights between October and December. The original estimated cost of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project was around Tk1.13 lakh crore. The revised estimated cost has risen to around Tk1.39 lakh crore.
The project is being built under a government-to-government arrangement with Russia and is expected to become a major source of low-carbon electricity for Bangladesh.