Dhaka: Bangladesh on Tuesday entered the era of nuclear power generation as its Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant began fuel loading in its VVER-1200 reactor – the latest Russian Gen III+ pressurised water reactor technology that India too is looking at for its future nuclear power projects, including for new units at Kudankulam. Fuel loading was done for the first unit of the plant in Pabna, around 160 km from capital Dhaka. Built by Russia’s state-run nuclear corporation Rosatom, the 2.4 GW plant (2 x 1200 MW units) aims at providing 10-12% of the country’s electricity. The first unit will be formally and legally transferred to Bangladesh for operations before 2026-end. Rooppur NPP will play a vital role in ensuring national energy security, accelerating industrialisation and fostering growth of a technology-driven economy, said science and technology minister Fakir Mahbub Anam of the project being built at a cost of around $13 billion, with Russia providing a state loan covering 90% of that. The loading phase is the first in the unit’s commissioning stage and will be followed by bringing the reactor to a stable controllable power level. Officials said generation will start at low levels with full output not expected until 2027. In India, Kudankulam – that already has two Russian VVER 1000 pressurised water reactors in commercial operation since 2014 – will have two further units – 7 and 8 with larger VVER-1200 reactors – as proposed for the fourth phase of the plant. Last year, Rosatom had said the technical specifications for construction of a new Russian-designed nuclear power plant in India with VVER-1200 reactor units are currently being prepared.
