A Russian technical team has arrived in Bangladesh to investigate the failure of a pilot-operated relief valve (PORV) on the pressuriser of Unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, a critical safety component designed to help control excessive pressure in the reactor’s primary cooling system.
The team arrived in Bangladesh yesterday and visited the Unit-1 site today to assess the cause of the valve failure, according to Dr Md Zahedul Hassan, managing director of the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL).
“Today, they visited the Unit-1 site to find out the reason for the failure of the pilot-operated relief valve (PORV) on the reactor’s pressuriser,” Dr Hassan told Just Energy News.
He said the Russian experts would remain in Bangladesh until they identify a solution to the problem.
“After that, they will brief us about the next course of action. We will then confirm when Unit-1 will be commissioned,” he said.
Earlier, Russian contractor JSC ASE, a subsidiary of state-owned nuclear energy corporation Rosatom, informed Bangladeshi officials that the problem was technically complex. The contractor also said the valve is a plant-specific component and cannot simply be purchased and replaced from the market.
The prolonged difficulty in resolving the problem has also raised concerns over the commissioning schedule of Unit-2. Officials said any further delay to Unit-1 could have a knock-on effect on Unit-2, which is already running behind schedule.
Dr Hassan, however, described the recent fire at the Rooppur project as a minor incident and said it had no impact on the main plant facilities or ongoing commissioning activities.
Rooppur Construction and Commissioning Continue Normally
Construction and commissioning activities at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant are continuing normally following a fire at a temporary building located outside the plant’s main facilities, according to an official press release.
The fire broke out at around 3:45am on September 7 at a temporary building within the Pioneer Base of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant construction project.
The building is located outside the plant’s main facilities, and the incident had no impact on construction or commissioning activities at the main plant, which are continuing as normal.
Fire brigade personnel arrived at the scene shortly after the incident and brought the fire under control. No casualties were reported.
The fire partially damaged office furniture, documents, IT equipment and communications equipment in two rooms of the temporary building. However, project authorities have adequate backup copies of the affected documents, and there has been no disruption to information management or ongoing operations.
A preliminary assessment indicates that the fire may have originated from a fault in the indoor unit of a split-type air-conditioning system. The cause, however, has not yet been confirmed and remains under investigation.
An investigation committee has been formed in accordance with the project’s Fire Safety Procedure to determine the precise cause of the fire and assess the extent of the damage. The committee has already begun its investigation.
Further details on the cause of the incident and the extent of the damage will be disclosed after the committee submits its report.
The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project authorities said they are treating the incident seriously and continuing to take necessary measures in line with established fire-safety procedures.