Special Correspondent //

A cargo plane carrying uranium for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has departed from Russia, bound for Dhaka.

The uranium-laden aircraft is scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport around 11:30 PM on Friday (October 2).

This information was obtained from the Ministry of Science and Technology. It is reported that the plane, having departed from Russia, will make a stopover in India before arriving in Dhaka.

The uranium shipment was originally scheduled to arrive on the 24th. Although authorities in both Russia and Bangladesh had made all necessary preparations, that earlier schedule was cancelled.

According to multiple relevant sources, the nuclear fuel will be brought into the country in a total of nine shipments: seven cargo loads for the second unit of the Rooppur power plant and two for the refueling of the first unit. Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation has stated that the entire fuel supply process is expected to be completed by next December.

Meanwhile, significant progress has been made in the commissioning activities of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s first unit. On Wednesday morning, the testing of the pressure-operated relief valve at a high pressure of 16 megapascals was successfully completed.

Yesterday (Thursday), the Russian state-owned agency Rosatom announced that the test—which began on Tuesday night following the rectification of a fault—concluded successfully on Wednesday morning. The test was conducted from both the main control room and the emergency control room. In addition to verifying the functionality of the control valves, the operation and response of the associated main safety valves were also tested. During the procedure, the opening and closing actions of the valves, alarms, and various related technical aspects were monitored. The entire test was conducted in compliance with approved procedures and necessary safety requirements.

It is reported that Rosatom and its subsidiary are constructing the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant with financial and technical assistance from Russia. The power plant, currently under construction in Ishwardi, Pabna, comprises two units with a combined generation capacity of 2,400 megawatts. Read the news, share your opinion.