Staff Reporter:
Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant at Rooppur is expected to begin supplying electricity to the na-tional grid by the end of August this year, Minister for Science and Technology Faqir Mahbub Anam said in the parliament yesterday.
Replying to a starred scripted tabled question from ruling party lawmaker Md Mostafizur Rahman Babul (Jamalpur-3) in the House yesterday, the minister said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) has entered the crucial commissioning and startup phase, the final stage before commercial electricity gener-ation.
Describing the project as a landmark achievement in the country’s energy sector, Faqir Mahbub Anam said, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is a epoch making project in Bangladesh’s energy sector and the country’s first nuclear power facility.
Following years of planning, construction and preparatory activities, the project is now in the commis-sioning and startup phase, which is the final, most complex and critical stage before electricity genera-tion begins.”
The minister informed the House that fuel loading activities under Stage-B (Fuel Loading and Physical Startup) of Unit-1 commenced on April 28, 2026.
At present, nuclear fuel is being installed in the reactor, while boric acid addition, reactor and primary circuit testing, safety verification, sub-criticality tests and other commissioning activities are being car-ried out, he said.
He added that the next phase would involve bringing the reactor to a critical state, conducting integrated tests of the control and protection systems, and operating the reactor at low power levels as part of the startup process.
According to the project schedule, the reactor’s power output will be increased gradually. Initially, the reactor will operate at around 10 to 12 percent capacity and subsequently at 35 to 40 percent capacity to facilitate various technical tests and evaluations.
The reactor power will be raised in phases. Once all required tests and commissioning activities are suc-cessfully completed, the generator is expected to be synchronized with the national grid approximately 114 days after the commencement of fuel loading, the minister said.
Expressing optimism about the project’s progress, Faqir Mahbub Anam told the parliament, that by the end of August 2026 the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will be able to supply around 300 megawatts of electricity to the national grid for the first time.”
The 2,400-megawatt Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, being constructed at Ishwardi in Pabna district with Russian assistance, is expected to play a transformative role in strengthening Bangladesh’s long-term energy security and diversifying its power generation mix.
