Русский
Rosatom specialists have conducted a final readiness check of Unit 1 at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh, with Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation also receiving its Bangladesh operating license.
Alexei Deriya, the Vice President of Atomstroyexport, the Rosatom subsidiary responsible, said, “The next stage at Unit 1 will be the physical startup, during which 163 fuel assemblies with nuclear fuel will be loaded into the reactor core. The unit will be brought up to the minimum controllable power level in 2026, followed by the power startup phase, which includes the supply of electricity to the Bangladesh grid.”
Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev said in February that the company was approaching the start of commissioning work at the Rooppur NPP, with the first power unit planned to be commissioned by the end of 2026. The NPP in Bangladesh will comprise two power units with a total capacity of 2400 MW.
The Rooppur NPP is Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant, and the first of the two units is expected to become operational in 2026. Safety reviews by the IAEA were completed in late 2025. The project, which is estimated to cost US$12.65 billion, is being financed mainly through Russian export credit amounting to US$11.38 billion.
Bangladesh and Russia also formalized an intergovernmental agreement concerning the repatriation of spent nuclear fuel generated by the Rooppur NPP back to Russia. This agreement stipulates the return of the spent nuclear fuel to Russia for purposes of temporary storage, reprocessing, recycling, and the management of the resultant products derived from the reprocessed nuclear waste.
Reducing dependence on electricity generated from oil and gas is crucial for Bangladesh due to the depletion of these resources and their adverse effects on the environment. Experts believe that the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will play a crucial role in ensuring energy security and reducing CO2 emissions at a low cost.
