Bangladesh is interested in the soonest commissioning of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. The country is also looking forward to expanding nuclear energy cooperation with Russia. This was stated by Professor Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh, during a meeting with Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev during his visit to the country.
The meeting, which was held at the Chief Adviser’s official residence in the Jamuna State Guest House, focused on the ongoing cooperation between Bangladesh and Russia in implementing the Rooppur NPP project. Prof. Muhammad Yunus appreciated Rosatom’s efforts in the nuclear plant construction and stressed the importance of its timely completion to meet Bangladesh’s growing energy needs.
“We are looking forward to your support, which is very important for us,” he told the Director General of Rosatom.
Alexey Likhachev gave a detailed account of the current progress of the project. According to him, every aspect of the project is advancing as planned. Preparations are underway for Rooppur Unit 1 to achieve first criticality. Alexey Likhachev emphasized that Rosatom’s key priorities in any nuclear construction project had always been safety, quality, and compliance with all international standards and requirements.
Both parties also noted the importance of further cooperation in the education and training of human resources for the nuclear plant under construction.
Late last December, workers completed construction and installation works at Rooppur Unit 1 to give way to a comprehensive testing program. The first phase of pre-commissioning tests includes functional checks on the mechanical equipment. For example, engineers run and test primary coolant pumps. The final step of the pre-commissioning program comprises nominal tests on the fuel-free reactor. This will confirm that all reactor systems comply with the design parameters.
After the Rooppur NPP is commissioned, it will be supplying over 10% of Bangladesh’s total power demand.
“We always meet our commitments and guarantee the reliability and safety of our technology. The first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh will support the country’s economy and work for the benefit of its future generations,” Andrey Petrov, First Deputy Director General for Nuclear Power Engineering at Rosatom and President of AtomStroyExport (ASE) said earlier.
Photo by: ASE JSC, Press Information Department Bangladesh
