Bangladesh has formally entered the nuclear power era with the start of fuel loading at the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, becoming the third country in South Asia after India and Pakistan to use nuclear energy for electricity generation.
The fuel loading ceremony at Rooppur, around 160 km from Dhaka, was attended by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev and Bangladesh Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam.
The step marks the transition of the country’s first nuclear power plant from construction to commissioning.
Rooppur has two VVER-1200 reactors with a combined generation capacity of 2,400 megawatts. The Generation III+ reactors include advanced passive and active safety systems designed to meet international safety standards.
After fuel loading, the reactor will be brought to a minimum controlled power level before gradual power escalation and grid synchronisation, when electricity generation will begin for the national grid.
Likhachev said Bangladesh had joined the group of countries using peaceful nuclear energy for sustainable development. Fakir Mahbub Anam said nuclear energy would help strengthen national energy security, industrial growth, and the country’s technology-driven economy.
The Rooppur project, being built by Russia’s Rosatom under a 2015 agreement, is one of Bangladesh’s largest infrastructure investments. Similar VVER-1200 reactors are operating in Russia and Belarus, with projects under construction in countries including Egypt, Turkey, Hungary, and China.
India has also supported Bangladesh’s nuclear programme through a trilateral cooperation framework involving India, Bangladesh, and Russia. Indian experts from the Department of Atomic Energy and the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership have trained Bangladeshi engineers and scientists in reactor operations, nuclear safety, radiation protection, and regulatory practices.
Once fully operational, Rooppur is expected to play a major role in meeting Bangladesh’s rising electricity demand while reducing dependence on fossil fuels.