Bangladesh began loading nuclear fuel into the first reactor at its Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant on April 28, formally entering the commissioning phase of a project that will make it the 33rd country in the world to generate electricity from atomic energy.
The fuel loading ceremony at the plant in Ishwardi, Pabna District, was attended by Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev and Bangladesh Minister of Science and Technology Fakir Mahbub Anam, who gave symbolic authorisation to begin inserting 163 uranium fuel assemblies into the reactor core. The process is expected to take between 21 and 45 days to complete, after which the reactor will be brought to a minimum controlled power level before a gradual increase in output begins.
Initial electricity generation of approximately 300 megawatts is expected to reach Bangladesh’s national grid between late July and early August 2026. Full capacity from the first unit, rated at 1,200 megawatts, is anticipated in 2027. A second unit of equal capacity is expected to begin commissioning in 2027, bringing the plant’s total output to 2,400 megawatts once fully operational.
The plant uses Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactor technology, already in commercial operation in Russia and Belarus, and incorporates passive safety systems, multiple containment layers, and a core catcher designed to contain molten fuel in the event of an accident. Russia’s Rosatom is the general contractor and general designer, and Russia is financing approximately 90 percent of the project’s estimated cost of $12.65 billion.
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi congratulated Bangladesh on the milestone, describing it as the country’s entry into the group of states that rely on nuclear energy for reliable, low-carbon electricity generation.
“Today Bangladesh has joined the club of the countries who use peaceful atom as a reliable source of sustainable development,” Likhachev said at the ceremony. Bangladesh Science and Technology Minister Anam said the programme “stands as a symbol of Bangladesh’s scientific advancement.”
The Rooppur project was decades in the making. Bangladesh formalised its nuclear ambitions in 1961, signed an intergovernmental cooperation agreement with Russia in 2011, and awarded the general construction contract to Atomstroyexport in December 2015. The project faced delays from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, equipment logistics, and foreign currency shortages, pushing estimated costs up by approximately 260 billion taka (Bangladeshi currency) above original projections.
For countries still in the preparatory phases of their own nuclear programmes, Bangladesh’s trajectory from planning to commissioning while adhering to IAEA standards offers a reference point. Ghana, currently in Phase Two of the IAEA Milestones Approach, which covers site studies, institutional development, and vendor negotiations, is working to advance to Phase Three, the construction stage. Dr Archibold Buah-Kwofie, Director of the Nuclear Power Institute of the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (NPI-GAEC), said earlier this year that Ghana is progressing but not yet at the pace its programme had initially projected, with funding constraints remaining among the key challenges.
