Bangladesh is in the final stages of using nuclear energy for power generation. Today, Tuesday, uranium fuel loading into the reactor core of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) began. With this milestone, Bangladesh is set to become the 33rd country in the world to use nuclear energy.
Once uranium fuel is injected into the reactor vessel, it will generate heat through nuclear fission. This heat will turn water into steam, which will in turn drive a turbine to generate electricity. The fuel loading process for the reactor core of the first unit of the plant located at Rooppur in Pabna is starting from today.
The Ministry of Science and Technology says this represents the final step before commercial power generation begins. After this, power generation will gradually start on a trial basis. It is expected that about 300 MW of power will be supplied to the national grid by August.
Dignitaries attending the fuel loading inauguration ceremony include Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mehboob Anam, Prime Minister’s Science and Technology Advisor Rehan Asif Asad, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi and Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom Director General Alexei Likhachev.