The first unit at the Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh has had its reactor assembly completed.

(Image: Rosatom)

The Rooppur plant, 160 kilometres from the capital Dhaka, features two Russian VVER-1200 reactors. Rosatom in February 2011 signed an agreement for two reactors to be built at Rooppur for the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. The initial contract for the project, worth USD12.65 billion, was signed in December 2015. The Bangladesh Atomic Regulatory Authority issued the first site licence for the Rooppur plant in June 2016, allowing preliminary site works, including geological surveys, to begin. Construction of the first unit began in November 2017. Construction of the second unit began in July 2018. They have an initial life-cycle of 60 years, with a further 20-year extension possible.

The reactor assembly process included the installation of reactor internals, such as the shaft and baffle, loading of dummy fuel and installation of a protective pipes unit. The next stage is hydraulic testing.

Alexey Deriy, Atomstroyexport JSC Vice President for Projects in Bangladesh, said: "Completion of the reactor assembly and getting prepared for key tests is an important stage to ensure the efficient operation of the future power unit. We are responsible for the safe, uninterrupted and reliable operation of the nuclear power plant being constructed ... [which] will contribute to a sustainable and prosperous energy future for Bangladesh."

The dummy fuel assemblies - exact replicas of standard fuel assemblies but without nuclear fuel - were loaded into unit 1 last month. Nuclear fuel, which was delivered to the site last year, will only be loaded after the tests with the dummy fuel assemblies have been successfully carried out.