ROOPPUR /Bangladesh/, October 5. /TASS/. Rosatom hopes to see electricity generated at the Rooppur nuclear power plant (NPP) in Bangladesh by 2024, Chief Executive Officer of the state-run corporation Alexey Likhachev told reporters prior to the ceremony commemorating the delivery of nuclear fuel to the NPP.
"The schedule of our work and, consequently, the stages of the launch of the Rooppur nuclear power plant, are absolutely clear to us. The delivery of fuel symbolizes the shift to large-scale commissioning. Part of it is already underway, though the biggest work lies ahead: the scale of commissioning will total around 1,500 tasks during this year and in the first half of next year. They all should be carried out in order to move on to the physical launch stage, or the 'jolt' of the reactor, and the reactor power startup - power connection and electricity generation for the sake of consumers. I think that the first test 'nuclear electricity' will appear next year, whereas in 2025 we will have a large-scale, permanently operating nuclear power plant," he said.
The Rooppur NPP equipped with two VVER-1200 reactors is being built according to a Russian design at a site 160 km from Dhaka. This is a 3+ generation evolutionary project that fully meets international safety requirements. Construction on the plant began in 2021. Design and construction of the facility is carried out by Rosatom’s engineering division. The service life of VVER-1200 reactors is 60 years with a potential extension to 20 years. Units 1 and 2 are currently under construction.