Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Expected to Supply Electricity to National Grid by August-End

Bangladesh's first nuclear power facility, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), is expected to begin supplying electricity to the national grid for the first time by the end of August this year, according to Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam.

The minister disclosed the information on Sunday while responding to a starred question raised by government lawmaker Md. Mostafizur Rahman Babul in the National Parliament.

He said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is currently undergoing the commissioning and startup phase, considered the most critical, complex and final stage before the commencement of commercial electricity generation.

According to the minister, after years of planning, construction and preparatory work, the project has now entered its final implementation stage. He described the plant as a landmark addition to Bangladesh’s energy sector that will significantly strengthen the country's power generation capacity.

Fakir Mahbub Anam informed Parliament that nuclear fuel loading for Unit-1 began on 28 April 2026 under the Stage-B activities. A series of commissioning operations are currently underway, including fuel assembly installation in the reactor, boric acid addition, primary circuit testing, safety verification and sub-criticality tests.

The next phase will involve bringing the reactor to a critical state, conducting integrated testing of control and protection systems, and completing startup operations through low-power reactor runs.

Under the project roadmap, the reactor’s output will be increased gradually. Initially, the plant will operate at around 10–12 percent capacity, followed by 35–40 percent capacity to facilitate various technical evaluations and performance tests.

The minister stated that, if all required tests are completed successfully, the generator will be synchronized with the national grid approximately 114 days after the commencement of fuel loading.

“According to the contractor’s implementation schedule, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is expected to supply around 300 megawatts of electricity to the national grid for the first time by the end of August,” he said.

Being constructed in Ishwardi of Pabna with Russian assistance, the 2,400-megawatt nuclear power project is widely regarded as a major step toward ensuring Bangladesh’s long-term energy security and diversifying the country’s electricity generation sources.

DBTech/SH/EK/OR