Rooppur grows by leaps and bounds as a number of key construction operations are being completed on the site. Meanwhile, Rosatom organizes cultural and educational events for the communities neighboring the nuclear power plant.
In late June, construction workers finished the installation of an internal containment dome at Unit 2 of the Rooppur nuclear power plant.
During the operation that lasted four hours, they lifted a 194‑ton upper section of the dome and placed it on top of the containment. The building now reaches the height of 60.5 meters.
A 195‑ton lower section of the dome had been installed a week before, on June 20. The main challenge was that the two sections had to be aligned with an accuracy of less than 1 cm.
“Installation of the containment dome is one of the milestones for 2022. Owing to the fact that last year we performed similar construction operations at the first unit of the plant, it took us only 151 days, or 56 days less, to assemble the dome this time,” Alexei Deriy, ASE Vice President and Director of the Rooppur construction project, says.
Earlier in June, emergency core cooling system (ECCS) was installed at the reactor island of Unit 2.
“Installation of all four ECCS tanks is a complex and labor-consuming process that requires great professionalism from the workers involved. Each tank is a high-pressure vessel placed vertically. It weighs about 80 tons and has a capacity of 60 cubic meters. By the way, its capacity is enough to fill an average of 20 fire truck tanks,” Alexei Deriy adds.
The emergency core cooling system of a nuclear power plant consists of passive and active elements. The tanks belong to passive safety systems that need no personnel involvement or external power sources to snap into action in case of emergency. When the plant is in operation, the tanks hold an aqueous boric acid solution (a neutron absorber) that floods the reactor core in emergency situations.
Rosatom is actively involved in the social and cultural life of the Rooppur hosting region.
In mid-June, Ishwardi hosted an award ceremony for the winners of Precise Energy 2022 science competition organized by Rosatom in partnership with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and the National Nuclear Research University (MEPhI, Russia).
The competition was held for the second time and consisted of two rounds. More than 1,000 students from the Rooppur NPP hosting region took part in the first round, and over 300 of them made it to the finals.
Results of the first round were assessed by the expert board made up of local teachers. In the final round, the assessment board included MEPhI teachers invited from Russia for the occasion.
Awards in the senior category were given to 10 finalists in each of the competition subjects (mathematics, physics and chemistry). They were students from the Islamic University (Kushtia), Pabna University of Science and Technology (PUST), Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET), and University of Rajshahi. In the junior category, awards were given to the 10 best contestants representing schools and colleges of Ishwardi and Pabna District. As part of the competition, MEPhI Professor Alexander Nakhabov delivered a course of lectures Fundamentals of Nuclear Power Plants and Connections with School Subjects (Math, Physics and Chemistry) for school teachers and contestants.
On June 11, Pabna hosted an event dedicated to the celebration of Russia Day. Long-standing friendship between the two countries was the main topic touched upon by Pabna-Sirajganj Member of Parliament Nadira Yasmin Jolly, BAEC Chief Engineer Ashraful Islam, and Ishwardi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) PM Imrul Kayes. The speakers thanked Russia for its assistance in the nuclear power plant construction. Russian and Bangladeshi officials, Rooppur NPP managers and employees exchanged greetings and congratulations. The participants of the event had a chance to enjoy the performance by the Alexandrov Academic Song and Dance Ensemble of the Russian Army.
