Under tight security, a special convoy carrying the first shipment of uranium fuel for the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has arrived at Ishwardi in Pabna.
The specialized convoy carrying the nuclear fuel entered the project area of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant at around 12:30 PM on Saturday (October 3) under armed security escort and comprehensive surveillance. Confirming the development, Pabna Deputy Commissioner Aminul Islam stated that the initial consignment of uranium for the plant’s second unit successfully arrived at the Rooppur project site shortly after 12:30 PM.
Earlier on Saturday at 7:15 AM, the uranium convoy departed from Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for Rooppur under the direct supervision and security of the Bangladesh Army. The nuclear fuel—fresh uranium—was transported in three specialized lorries, while another vehicle carried other essential equipment. Members of an expert team from Russia also accompanied the convoy. Throughout the transit route, members of the Army, along with Police, RAB, and various intelligence agency personnel, were deployed to ensure overall security. The special cargo aircraft carrying this second consignment of nuclear fuel for the Rooppur power plant landed in Dhaka at 11:30 PM on Friday.
According to project sources, this nuclear fuel is being imported to the country across a total of nine consignments—seven for the second unit and two for the refueling operations of the first unit—with a target to complete all deliveries by December. Engineers and senior officials associated with the project expressed optimism that if all preparatory and technical works are completed on schedule, experimental power generation of 200 to 300 megawatts from the country’s first nuclear power plant’s initial unit will be fed into the national grid by December this year.
