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🇧🇩 Bangladesh /Energy & Infrastructure

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant nears criticality after completing fuel loading

From Daily Star · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Under investigation
  • Bangladesh's Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has completed fuel loading and is preparing for criticality.
  • The plant awaits final approval from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) following a high-level inspection.
  • Once operational, the plant, built with Russian support, will generate 2,400 MW of electricity, marking a significant step in Bangladesh's energy sector.

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh is on the cusp of a major milestone, having completed fuel loading and undergoing final inspections before initiating a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction.

Criticality is the operating state of a nuclear reactor in which nuclear fuel sustains a self-supporting fission chain reaction.

— Dr Md Zahedul HasanExplaining the significance of the upcoming stage for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

The plant is currently awaiting the crucial approval from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA). A high-level inspection team from BAERA arrived at the facility on Tuesday for a final review. This regulatory green light is necessary before the plant can proceed to the criticality stage, a key step toward electricity generation.

Dr. Md. Zahedul Hasan, managing director of the operating authority Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd (NPCBL), confirmed that once BAERA grants approval, the plant will move into the criticality phase. Criticality signifies the state where a nuclear reactor's fuel can sustain a self-supporting fission chain reaction.

the first criticality begins with a self-sustaining chain reaction at zero power.

— Dr Md Shafiqul IslamDescribing the initial phase of the criticality process at the nuclear power plant.

Experts explain that the process involves reaching criticality first at zero power, followed by low-power operation to heat water without producing steam. Each stage is meticulously monitored for technical defects. If all systems perform as expected, the reactor will gradually increase power to generate steam for electricity production. Reaching full power generation from the initial criticality is expected to take several months, at least two, with the success of the entire project hinging on the correct completion of each step.

with every stage closely monitored to ensure there are no technical defects

— Dr Md Shafiqul IslamHighlighting the safety protocols during the reactor's power-up stages.

The $12.65 billion Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, constructed with financial and technical assistance from the Russian Federation, is set to become Bangladesh's first nuclear facility. It features two VVER-1200 reactors designed to produce a combined 2,400 MW of electricity, significantly boosting the nation's power generation capacity.

it takes a minimum of several months (at least two months) to reach final power generation from first criticality.

— Dr Md ShafiqEstimating the timeline for the plant to reach full operational capacity after achieving criticality.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Daily Star in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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