Russian aircraft carrying nuclear fuel lands in Shahjalal airport
Collected Photo
A flight carrying nuclear fuel from Russia for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant arrived in Dhaka late Friday night. Multiple relevant sources confirmed that the fuel-carrying aircraft landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
According to multiple sources, the fuel shipment will be transported to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant under established security protocols.
A total of nine cargo containers of fuel arrived, including seven for the power plant's second unit and two for refueling the first unit. Rosatom, the Russian state atomic energy corporation, said that the full supply of fuel will be delivered by December.
Necessary fuel has already been loaded into the plant's first unit. However, after approximately one and a half years, one-fourth of that fuel will need to be replaced, which is why the required fuel for the first unit is being brought in advance. Under the contract, Russia will supply the fuel for the first three years. Thereafter, a specified volume of the fuel must be replaced every two years, which Bangladesh will then need to import.
The aircraft was originally scheduled to arrive in Dhaka with the fuel on September 24. However, it was unable to arrive on time as it did not receive permission to use Pakistani airspace. The schedule was subsequently revised multiple times, with tentative arrival dates first set for October 1 and then October 2.
The exact reason why Pakistan denied permission to use its airspace remains unclear. The issue has sparked widespread discussion and debate over the past few days. However, Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs claimed that the decision was not political or malicious, but rather due to technical and procedural aviation matters.
The total generation capacity of the two units at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is 2,400 megawatts. Although fuel loading for the first unit has been completed, going into production has been delayed due to various complications. Electricity generation was scheduled to begin this month, but it was not possible due to a defect identified in a safety valve. A team of experts from Russia has arrived to fix the fault, along with necessary spare parts. Once repaired, electricity from Rooppur's electricity will be added to the national grid. Meanwhile, work on the second unit is also progressing at full speed.
