The country's first nuclear power plant is becoming more visible with each passing day. Currently, works are in progress for the manufacturing of elements for the containment dome part.
It is planned to complete the erection of steel structures of the inner containment dome in the first half of 2022, a project official said.
The country’s first nuclear power plant is being implemented by a subsidiary of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation - Rosatom.
Concreting of the fifth tier of the inner containment of reactor building at Unit 2 of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant was completed on December 24. It took the specialists of Trest Rossem 23 hours of uninterrupted work to cast 850 m3 of self-compacting concrete mix.
“Concreting of the fifth tier of the inner containment was completed significantly ahead of schedule. This is a testament of the high professional level of the specialists of Trest Rossem in Bangladesh and a good example of well-coordinated work of the entire team at the construction site,” said Alexey Deriy, Vice President of ASE and Director of Rooppur NPP Construction Project.
Concreting of the fifth tier completes the construction of the cylindrical part of the inner containment- one of the main components of the NPP reactor safety system, which prevents the release of radioactive substances into the environment. The dome of the power unit will be installed on it in the next phase.
An official said, “The fuel load for the first unit of the power plant will be started at the end of 2023. We believe that the first unit will start electricity generation by 2023, and the second unit by 2024.”
The main construction work of the power plant is continuing at Rooppur in Pabna district, while at the same time, essential machinery is being made in Russia. Some of the machinery has already reached Bangladesh, some shipped and others are still in the manufacturing process.
The project official said that about 30,000 workers and employees, including foreigners, are working to complete the power plant within the stipulated time. Authorities concerned are strictly following hygiene rules for all of them.
Rooppur NPP will have two units, each equipped with a Russian Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactor of 1,200 MW capacity. This evolutionary reactor design fully complies with all the international safety requirements.
Officials said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will bring about a comprehensive change in the country's economy, contributing more than two percent to GDP growth.
Once the nuke plant goes into operation, it will offer a window of opportunity, such as ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply to over 15 lakh families, and jobs for a large number of people.
That is apart from the fact that the plant will make special contributions to industrial development and scientific research. Above all, it will signal a release from the monopoly fuel of oil, gas, and coal for power generation.
On October 2, 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the first stone in the foundation of Rooppur NPP. The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved the construction of the Rooppur NPP Project on 6 December 2016 at an estimated cost of Taka 1,13,092.91 crore.
