Rooppur Unit-1 poised for power startup today

Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant is poised to take a major step towards electricity generation, with Unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant scheduled to begin its power startup process today, subject to final regulatory approval.

Project sources said the unit had completed all tests and activities under the B-2 stage, including physics tests. The reports were submitted to the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) on Wednesday last.

Once regulatory clearance is granted, the unit will enter the C stage, marking the start of the power startup process. Officials said the process could begin today, subject to approval, while any delay could push back the schedule.

Generation will initially begin at a low level, with the reactor’s output raised gradually as subsequent tests and activities are completed successfully.

According to project sources, the plant is expected to begin supplying electricity to the national grid when generation capacity reaches 30% to 35%. The authorities aim to supply at least 300MW from the first unit by the end of this year, though the timeline will depend on the successful completion of each testing stage and the necessary regulatory approvals.

The latest development follows the first controlled nuclear chain reaction at Unit-1 on 11 October, when the reactor reached its initial criticality stage, marking a significant milestone for the country’s first nuclear power project.

The controlled chain reaction is the first of four major stages before electricity can be generated and supplied to the national grid. The subsequent stages involve transferring thermal energy into mechanical energy and generating electricity.

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Md Anwar Hossain, secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, said the initial chain reaction was achieved after the required compliance procedures, technical parameters and external certifications had been completed.

He said nuclear fuel had been loaded into the reactor and the fission process had begun, with Russian specialists, Bangladeshi experts and other technical personnel present to observe the process and assess the reactor’s performance.

In a nuclear reactor, controlled fission splits uranium atoms, releasing heat that produces steam to drive turbines and generate electricity. Anwar said technical teams were working to complete the remaining processes as quickly as possible, while stressing that every stage must comply with the required procedures and safety standards.

Located in Ishwardi, Pabna, the plant is being built with two VVER-1200 pressurised water reactor units using Russian technology supplied by Rosatom. Each unit has a planned capacity of 1,200 megawatts, giving the plant a combined capacity of 2,400MW.