The consignment of nuclear fuel for Bangladesh’s Rooppur nuclear power station has departed Russia, with the shipment expected to reach Dhaka late on Friday.
The specially chartered cargo aircraft carrying the uranium is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at about 11.30pm local time. The arrival was initially expected earlier in the day but was subsequently postponed.
Bangladesh’s science and technology minister, Fakir Mahbub Anam, confirmed the aircraft’s departure during a briefing with journalists on Friday. He said preparations were in place both for the shipment’s arrival and for its subsequent transfer to the Rooppur site in Pabna.
Once the aircraft lands, the nuclear material is due to be transported to the power station under security provided by the Bangladesh Army. Officials expect the transfer to take place on Saturday.
The aircraft is understood to be travelling from Russia through Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Pakistan and India before reaching Bangladesh, with a stop in India planned during the journey.
The delivery is part of a larger programme to supply fuel for Rooppur’s two reactors. Nine consignments are planned in total: seven for the second reactor and two intended for the first reactor’s future refuelling requirements. Rosatom, Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy company, has said the full fuel supply is expected to reach Bangladesh by December.
Fuel has already been loaded into the first reactor. Nuclear reactors require periodic refuelling, however, with officials saying around a quarter of the fuel will need to be replaced after roughly 18 months of operation.
Under the agreement between Moscow and Dhaka, Russia is responsible for supplying fuel during the plant’s first three years of operation. Bangladesh will then be responsible for obtaining replacement fuel at the required intervals.
The latest shipment was originally scheduled to arrive on Thursday but was delayed by 24 hours. Authorities have described the transport operation as highly sensitive and said extensive security and logistical arrangements have been put in place.
Rooppur is being built with two reactors capable of producing a combined 2,400 megawatts of electricity. Although fuel loading has been completed in the first unit, its entry into commercial operation has been pushed back following technical problems.
The first reactor had been expected to start generating electricity this month. A problem involving a safety valve contributed to the delay, although a senior official at Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited said repair work on the component had been completed successfully on Wednesday.
The reactor must still undergo a number of tests before electricity can be supplied to Bangladesh’s national grid. Meanwhile, construction and commissioning work on the plant’s second unit is continuing.