Staff reporter:
The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) yesterday allowed Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) to launch the operation of its first unit, with officials expecting the generation to start by next month.
Officials said BAERA Chairman M Mahmudul Hasan granted the necessary approval to begin power startup activities at Unit 1 of the country’s maiden nuclear power plant.
The unit 1 of the plant has an electrical generation capacity of 1,200 megawatts (MW).
RNPP Managing Director Dr Md Zahedul Hassan said the project’s first unit by now nearly completed Stage B1, meaning the first sub-stage of hot commissioning focusing primarily on the initial nuclear fuel loading and early subcritical checks.
He said the process was conducted in line with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) guidelines while the approval came after the unit completed the B-2 phase physical tests and other required activities.
“If the required tests and commissioning activities proceed as planned, trial electricity supply to the national grid is expected to begin next month,” Hassan said.
Officials said despite the approval, they were required to exhaust several steps before Unit 1 could supply electricity to the grid.
They said the project now was required to enter Stage C, during which reactor power would be increased gradually to test the performance of major equipment and systems under operating conditions.
The project documents said the reactor will undergo staged power tests and equipment checks before grid synchronisation, with several commissioning steps remaining before electricity supply begins.
Officials said a key milestone will be synchronising the generator with the national grid to assess the plant’s ability to supply electricity steadily.
