The government is going to recruit a total of 664 officials this year to operate and maintain Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), the country’s first nuclear power plant, at Pabna with the support of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), RNPP official said.
The power plant is being implemented by Rosatom. The main construction work of the power plant is continuing at Rooppur in Pabna district while its essential machineries are being made in Russia.
The Rooppur NPP project is the largest and top priority infrastructure project in Bangladesh. The project will host two units, each with the latest generation 3+ VVER 1,200 reactor. Its operational life is 60 years with the possibility of extending the service life for 20 years. Total capacity of the plant is estimated to be 2,400 MW.
An official of RNPP said, “The manpower will be required in phases. However, 243 officials, including station director and chief superintendent, will be recruited immediately because the Rooppur Power plant authorities have already completed all the formalities of the recruitment process. Besides, another 421 officials will also be appointed in several phases in the current fiscal year.”
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Besides, deputy superintendent of the station, officers for department of environment protection, department of nuclear safety and reliability, department of radiation safety officers will also be appointed for the plant.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant authorities have a plan to train up 1,925 officials with the support of Russian contractor JSC Atomstroyexport as per the contract agreement.
A total of 1,424 officials have got training so far under the general contract and another 517 officials have been sent to Russia for training on the operation of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
However, currently, a total of 11,000 people including 2,500 foreigners are working to implement the project.
Earlier, Architect Yeafech Osman, Minister of Science and Technology, told The Bangladesh Post “The construction of the nuclear power plant is underway by following the Bangladesh Government and WHO guidelines to prevent spread of coronavirus infection at the site. It is an international project and a matter of honour for us.”
The Commercial Operation Date (COD) of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant may be delayed by four to six months as the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd has rescheduled the roadmap implementation due to the disruption caused due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Now, the first unit having capacity of 1,200MW electricity is expected to commence provisional take over or pre-commercial operation from February 17, 2024, which was previously scheduled to take over from October, 2023. The second unit with the same capacity of the plant is likely to commence operations in February, 2025, RNPP sources said.
Bangladesh government believes that once the nuclear plant goes into operation, it will offer a window of opportunities, such as ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply to over 15 lakh families and giving jobs to a large number of people.
Sources said the Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) are capable of generating low-cost electricity and meeting modern society’s demand for reliable and affordable electricity. Nuclear, the clean air energy, does not pollute the air. Nuclear energy is a part of a diverse and balanced generation mix. Energy security is strengthened when a nation uses it.
Nuclear construction projects are the growth engine for the region where they are constructed and the NPPs are valuable long-term national assets which help to support healthy economy.
The main feature of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is its simple design. Each reactor unit comprises a reactor and four circulation loops, each of which includes circulation pipelines, reactor coolant pump and horizontal steam generator. The RNPP will have some special technical features with added capability that differentiates it from other VVER NPPs currently in operation.
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