Experts detected faults in three separate areas of Unit-1 of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) during a testing following fuel loading at Unit-1 of the country’s first nuclear power plant on Friday night (13 June).
RNPP is Bangladesh's first nuclear power facility and has now reached the concluding phase following years of planning, construction and preparatory work----is expected to begin supplying electricity to the national grid by the end of August this year. The commissioning and startup phase is the final, most complex and critical stage before electricity generation begins there.
“A similar fault was also detected in Unit 1 of the plant before fuel-loading tests were conducted, however, it is nothing new in nuclear practice, citing the example of Belarus nuclear plant, experts said it may slow down the commissioning of the Unit �"1 of RNPP as it needed to address the issue through extensive scanning as it is repeating,” officials confirmed.
“We identified a minor fault after pressurising the system at Unit-1 on Friday night. It is not a major issue, and we expect it to be fixed quickly,” Some three minor holes developed in Unit-1 of the nuclear power plant during fuel-loading test.
However, the official declined to specify the exact location of the minor hole to the. We want to determine the extent and significance of the damage despite minor issue,” the official added.
Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam immediately directed the authorities--contractor to suspend further testing and rectify the issues before resuming operations, the official said.
In accordance with the International Atomic Energy Association's guideline, the Minister said, "safety First," he added.
RNPP officially entered its operational phase following the commencement of fuel loading at unit-1 on April 28. Project officials reported that 163 fuel assemblies were loaded into the reactor core by mid-May.
"A technical fault was identified, leading to a temporary halt in operations, Saikat Ahmed, media focal point officer of RNPP said, representative from Rosatom's PR agency said that such issues are common during the commissioning stage of a nuclear plant.
During plant commissioning, many minor issues come to light. We address and solve these problems, and once the system performs perfectly, the plant moves into production. There is nothing to worry about, the PR representative said.
Following fuel loading, a series of tests are being conducted to identify and solve any issues before moving to the next step, Saikat said.
Once everything performs perfectly, we will initiate the chain reaction to generate power, he added.
Earlier, a technical fault found in the Reactor Cooling Pump (RCP) during tests prior to fuel loading had forced a shutdown.
Operations resumed to complete the testing process only after that fault was rectified, which delayed the timeline by a few weeks, according to official sources.
Officials said the government has invested around $1 billion in safety and security systems to ensure the plant can withstand natural disasters, including earthquakes measuring up to 8 on the Richter scale and even tsunami-related impacts.
Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL) Managing Director Dr Md Zahidul Hasan said the probability of a severe nuclear accident is extremely low, estimating that such an event could occur only once in a million years.
He added that electricity generated from the nuclear power plant would be comparatively cheaper than power produced from fossil fuel-based plants over the long term.
The government is planning to implement two additional units, subject to the successful commissioning of the existing two. The first unit is expected to generate 1,150 MW of electricity by December this year, while the second unit is scheduled to begin generation during the same period next year.
