Bangladesh’s first nuclear facility stands days away from feeding power into the national grid, yet the October 25 startup target remains caught in regulatory limbo.
Project leaders at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant have wrapped up every Stage B-2 test, including the crucial physics assessments. Those reports landed with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority on October 21. Without BAERA’s sign-off, Unit-1 cannot advance to Stage C, the preparatory window before actual electricity generation begins.
Dr Md Zahedul Hassan, managing director of Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited, confirmed the testing work has concluded. The physics documentation sits with regulators now. “The unit was awaiting regulatory clearance,” he said, describing the next step as wholly dependent on approval timing.
Preparations for a late-October power startup remain active, according to project insiders. Though a delay looms if clearance drags past the deadline.
Meanwhile, a senior Russian delegation briefed the Ministry of Science and Technology on criticality progress. Once regulators approve, Stage C opens the door for power startup operations.
Early output will stay modest. Officials plan to slowly ramp reactor output as subsequent rounds of testing wrap successfully. Grid connection hinges on hitting 30 to 35 percent generation capacity. The target calls for at least 300 megawatts flowing from Unit-1 by year’s end, though that depends on completing each stage cleanly and securing every required approval.
The push follows a major milestone: Unit-1 achieved initial criticality on October 11, when the reactor sustained its first controlled chain reaction. That moment marked the first of four stages toward electricity production. The remaining steps involve moving thermal energy, converting it to mechanical energy, and finally generating power for the grid.
Md Anwar Hossain, secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, noted the controlled reaction began only after compliance checks, technical parameters, and external certifications aligned. Fuel loads had already gone into the reactor. Russian specialists and Bangladeshi experts monitored the fission process together.
The plant in Ishwardi, Pabna, uses two VVER-1200 pressurized water reactors built with Rosatom technology. Each unit carries 1,200 megawatts of planned capacity, combining for 2,400MW total.
