Uranium Cargo Plane Heads to Dhaka for Rooppur Plant

A cargo aircraft carrying uranium fuel for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has departed Russia for Dhaka.

The aircraft is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at around 11:30pm on Friday, October 2.

The aircraft is expected to make a stop in India before continuing to Bangladesh, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The shipment was originally scheduled to arrive on September 24, but the flight was cancelled despite preparations by the Russian and Bangladeshi authorities.

According to multiple sources, a total of nine consignments of nuclear fuel will be delivered to Bangladesh. Seven consignments will supply the plant's second unit, while two will be used for refuelling the first unit.

Russia's state nuclear energy corporation has said the full fuel supply is expected to be completed by December.

Meanwhile, significant progress has been made in the commissioning of the plant's first unit. A pressure-operated relief valve test was successfully completed at a pressure of 16 megapascals on Wednesday morning.

The test began on Tuesday night after a technical fault was fixed and was successfully completed the following morning. It was conducted from both the main control room and the emergency control room.

The test assessed the performance of the control valves as well as the operation and response of the relevant safety valves. Engineers also monitored valve opening and closing, alarms and other technical parameters during the test.

The entire procedure was carried out in accordance with approved protocols and required safety conditions.

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is being built in Ishwardi, Pabna, with financial and technical assistance from Russia. The two-unit facility will have a combined generation capacity of 2,400 megawatts.