Construction sites. Fresh nuclear fuel loading has been completed at Unit 1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh. This marks one of the key stages in preparing the unit for first electricity. A total of 163 fuel assemblies were sequentially loaded into the reactor core. The fuel was manufactured in Russia at one of the facilities of Rosatom’s Fuel Division. “The next stage is the installation of the reactor vessel head and the connection of all necessary in-core monitoring systems,” said Alexey Deriy, Vice President for Bangladeshi Projects at AtomStroyExport. “Following this, we will conduct hundreds of tests to confirm the reliable and safe operation of all plant systems.” In the near future, the reactor will be brought to first criticality, after which a gradual power ascension will begin. These operations precede the first electricity phase and the pilot operation of Rooppur Unit 1.