The country’s first 2400 megawatt-capacity Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has achieved another milestone by installing a reactor support truss at Unit 1, officials said. The construction project is being implemented by a subsidiary of Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom and collaboration of India. It is high on the Bangladesh government’s agenda, all the way up to the Prime Minister’s Office.
The government believes at least 1200MW unit of electricity from the first nuclear plant will be added to the national grid by 2023. The second with the same amount of power will be launched by 2024. Rosatom officials said the construction work is going on in full swing. It is being visible in every passing day. However, the reactor support truss for Unit-1 has been completed on September 29.
Role of the support truss is to fix the reactor vessel in place and to bear its weight loads. It was installed as per the design, prepared by Atomstroyexport (ASE), engineering division of Russia’s state corporation-Rosatom. Atomstroyexport is the general designer and general contractor of the project. “It is a very complicated job which needs maximum possible accuracy. Installation was completed ahead of schedule thanks to well co-ordinated efforts of our employees and the people of the construction site,” said Sergey Lastochkin, ASE Vice-President and Director for the Rooppur NPP Construction Project.
He said the construction works of Units 1 and 2 are progressing according to schedule.Earlier, the reinforced frame, weighing 58 tonnes, and the embedded part of the core catcher (core meltdown retention device), weighing 7.5 tonnes, have been installed at Unit 2. “Core Catcher” is one of the most important passive safety systems.
Active construction phase of Unit 2 started on July 14, 2018 with the pouring of first concrete at the foundation base of the reactor, while the First Concrete ceremony of Unit 1 was held on November 30, 2017.On August 18, 2018, installation of the “Core Catcher”, began at Unit 1. Installation of the “Core Catcher” for the Unit 2 began in February 2019.
A Rosatom official said, the concrete slab structure, with 3813 tonnes of rebars and 24,285 cubic metres of concrete, was completed on 30 January, following the completion of the previous day of operations to stabilise the soil under the main and auxiliary buildings and structures of the Rooppur construction site. Over 1.2 million tonnes of cement was used to strengthen 4.5 million cubic metres of soil to meet design requirements for a load-carrying capacity.
The Rooppur NPP is being constructed according to the Russian design. The project is to have two units with generation 3+ VVER 1200 reactors. The power plant lifecycle is 100 years at least.In 2017, the influential international magazine POWER of USA rated the new Russian power unit as one of the best three nuclear power units in the word.
Each stage of the Rooppur NPP construction is stringently being monitored by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA).On 2 October 2013, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina laid the first stone in the foundation of the Rooppur NPP.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 opportunities, such as ensuring uninterrupted electricity supply to over 15 lakh families and jobs for a large number of people.Moreover, every year 20-30 students will get opportunities to pursue studies in nuclear science in Russia.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.
