Bangladesh Enters Nuclear Power Era with Fuel Loading

Bangladesh is set to enter the era of nuclear power generation as fuel loading begins on Tuesday at the first unit of the country’s maiden nuclear power plant in Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

After nearly a decade of infrastructure development and technical preparation, the country is taking a historic step toward nuclear electricity production. The milestone follows the issuance of a commissioning licence on April 16, allowing fuel to be inserted into the reactor core.

According to officials, uranium fuel loading in the first unit will begin Tuesday afternoon, marking the formal start of nuclear operations at the facility.

Senior officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology said that due to time constraints, neither the Prime Minister of Bangladesh nor the President of Russia will be present at the inauguration. However, Science and Technology Minister Fakhrul Anam Mahbub and high-level Russian representatives will attend the ceremony at the project site.

Officials added that the process follows strict international safety and technical guidelines. Earlier attempts to begin fuel loading were postponed several times due to regulatory and safety requirements. With all conditions now met, the first unit is fully ready for operation.

A total of 59 Bangladeshi experts have also received operating licences to participate in the process, marking a significant step in building local technical capacity in nuclear energy.

Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology Anwar Hossain said the fuel loading process in the first unit will take around 45 days. Electricity generation is expected to begin between late July and early August, initially supplying around 300 megawatts to the national grid.

Full commercial operation of the first unit is expected by the end of this year or early next year, delivering up to 1,200 megawatts of electricity. Once both units are fully operational, the plant will generate a total of 2,400 megawatts, covering more than 10 percent of the country’s electricity demand.

Built on the banks of the Padma River in Ishwardi at a cost of around 12.65 billion US dollars, the project has been developed with financial and technical assistance from Russia. It features two VVER-1200 reactors, marking Bangladesh’s entry into large-scale nuclear energy production.