Rosatom welcomes 2025 with optimism in Bangladesh

Rosatom State Corporation marked 2024 as a successful year in Bangladesh, advancing the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project. Construction and installation of Unit 1 have been completed, preparing it for start-up in 2025, while Unit 2 has made significant progress.

“We are in the final stages of preparing Unit 1 for physical start-up, a critical phase involving extensive tests to ensure operational readiness,” said Andrey Petrov, first deputy director general for Nuclear Energy at Rosatom.

Key milestones achieved this year include the loading of dummy fuel assemblies in Unit 1 in September, completion of reactor assembly in October, and initiation of tests without nuclear fuel in December. Meanwhile, Unit 2 has completed concreting of the outer containment and installed a passive heat removal system deflector, with other preparatory works ongoing.

Both units are equipped with automated radiation monitoring systems (ARMS), custom-designed for the Rooppur project. Rosatom also continued supporting Bangladeshi student education and specialist training at its technical academy in Russia.

Russian Ambassador Alexander Khozin emphasised the project’s importance, noting efforts to raise public awareness and its significance for Bangladesh’s energy security.

The Rooppur NPP, supported financially and technologically by Russia, features two 1,200 MW VVER-1200 reactors of Generation 3+, meeting international safety standards. Once operational, the plant will supply about 10% of Bangladesh’s energy demand.

Globally, Rosatom is constructing 22 nuclear power units across seven countries and managing export orders for 39 small-capacity reactors from 10 countries.