[🇧🇩] Civilian/Military Nuclear Program in Bangladesh

[Saif]

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project: 18 officials, employees dismissed

They were relieved of their duties from 8 May. All of them, however, will receive the salary of three months as notice payment.

en.prothomalo.com

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project: 18 officials, employees dismissed
Correspondent Pabna
Published: 11 May 2025, 22: 30

Photo shows Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant File photo

Eighteen officials and employees of the under-construction Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) project in Pabna’s Ishwardi upazila were dismissed from their jobs and banned from entering the project area.

These staff were employed at the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL).

The separate letters signed by NPCBL managing director Md Zahedul Hassan were issued on dismissal and ban on Thursday, while the officials and employees concerned received the letters on Saturday.

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project’s site in-charge Ruhul Kuddus confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo.

He said the issue was reported to the head of the project’s security agency, and declined to disclose further.

The dismissal letters stated that the NPCBL no longer requires their services. They were relieved of their duties from 8 May. All of them, however, will receive the salary of three months as notice payment.

The letter on the ban on entry to the project area said, “The 18 officials and employees are prohibited from entering the area of the under-construction Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project and the residential area Green City for security reasons.”

They officials, who were dismissed are NPCBL’s deputy chief superintendent Md Hasan Ali, senior assistant managers Shahidul Islam, Abu Rayhan, Rafiqul Hasan, Joynal Hossain, Naeem Al Sakib, Abu Sayeed, AKM Abdullah Al Amin, Shah Ikhtiar Alam and Ibrahim Khalilullah, assistant managers Abdullah Al Noman, Asif Khan, Mohammad Imamul Arefin and Md Ikram, Md Ruhul Amin, sub-assistant managers Ismail Hossain and Rubel Hossain, and technician Firoz Ahmed.

The sacked officials claimed all of 18 are competent for jobs and 12 of them graduated from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET).

They further said all of them received various training in Russia for the nuclear power plant project. They were dismissed illegally because of protesting the arbitrary conduct of the company’s managing director. They demand restoration of their jobs or else they would seek legal action.

A dismissed engineer told Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity that any employee who raises demands is suppressed. Efforts were carried out to silence them and those who protested were selectively terminated. All of them were asked to leave the project’s residential area with their families within three days, putting them in severe problem.

When asked, NPCBL’s managing director Md Zahedul Hassan said that the decision on dismissal was made after investigating the matters thoroughly and following due process. These steps were taken for the sake of the company’s discipline and security.

Recently, NPCBL officers and employees had gone on protests for several days, pressing various demands, including the removal of managing director Zahedul Hassan. They held a human chain and press conference in Ishwardi town on 6 May 6 and organised a sit-in and protest at the project site on 7 May.​

 

[Saif]

Atomic Energy Commission should be separated from ministry: discussion

Speakers including activists, teachers and scientists said on Wednesday that the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission should be separated from the ministry of science and technology to avoid bureaucratic complexity and increase productivity and research...

www.newagebd.net

Atomic Energy Commission should be separated from ministry: discussion
Staff Correspondent 22 May, 2025, 00:48

Poet and author Farhad Mazhar addresses a discussion at the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission headquarters in Dhaka on Wednesday. | Press release

Speakers including activists, teachers and scientists said on Wednesday that the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission should be separated from the ministry of science and technology to avoid bureaucratic complexity and increase productivity and research.

They made the comment while speaking at a discussion titled Bangladeshe Paramanu Bigyan Gabeshanar Sambhabana, Sangkat O Uttaraner Upay.

The discussion was jointly organised by Bangladesh Sachetan Biggyani Samaj and BhavBoithoki at Dr Anwar Hossain Auditorium of the BAEC in the capital Dhaka.

Poet, writer and researcher Farhad Mazhar was present at the event as the key speaker while Dhaka University physics department professor Md Kamrul Hassan Mamun and Jahangirnagar University environmental sciences department professor Jamal Uddin spoke at the event.

Chief scientific officer of BAEC Sheikh Manjura Hoque presented her article on the topic while chief scientific officer ASM Saifullah delivered a welcome speech at the event.

Sheikh Manjura Hoque in her article addressed a seven-point crisis created by the ministry despite the BAEC being a corporate organisation.

She also placed their 11-point demand, including restoring autonomy of the commission.

Jamal Uddin said that although the BAEC was part of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission before the War of Independence, after forming of the BAEC, however, it had less productivity because the government had no interest in research while India and Pakistan improved a lot in atomic research.

‘As a nation we have become a broker because we prefer marketing to production and this is a political crisis,’ said Jamal Uddin who proposed that the BAEC should be separated from the ministry and accountable to the president.

Md Kamrul Hassan Mamun said that when a state did not have critical minds, its organisations fell apart.

‘A ministry cannot provide necessary support to research due to its bureaucratic complexity and power practice,’ Mamun said, adding that there was not any example of success of any organisation under any ministry in Bangladesh.

Farhad Mazhar said that the scientists of the BAEC could not create proper working space for them because of the lack of political consciousness.

‘We need to find the corruption of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and the government must ensure the security of the people who can be affected by the nuclear dust,’ Farhad Mazhar said, adding that he supports the 11-point demand of the scientists of the BAEC.​

 

[Saif]

Ruppur-Gopalganj 400kV line fully operational

The 400kV transmission line from Ruppur to Gopalganj has been successfully launched, marking a major milestone in integrating electricity from the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant into Bangladesh's national grid. The 158-kilometre-long line, with 414 towers, was fully operational from 3:30 PM today. Thi

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Ruppur-Gopalganj 400kV line fully operational

FE ONLINE DESK
Published :
Jun 02, 2025 22:37
Updated :
Jun 02, 2025 22:37

The 400kV transmission line from Ruppur to Gopalganj has been successfully launched, marking a major milestone in integrating electricity from the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant into Bangladesh's national grid.

The 158-kilometre-long line, with 414 towers, was fully operational from 3:30 PM today. This line is the third and final major transmission route, each capable of handling 2,000 megawatts.

Earlier, the Ruppur-Baghabari 230kV line and Ruppur-Bogura 400kV line were activated in June 2022 and April 2024, respectively.

PGCB Executive Engineer Enayet Karim confirmed that the project was completed on 29 May, successfully achieving the goal of nuclear power transmission into the national grid.​

 

[Saif]

Moscow mum on extending $11.38b utilisation timeline

Russia has yet to extend the timeline for its $11.38-billion loan utilisation for Bangladesh although the credit tenure already expired in December last, officials said Wednesday about a looming uncertainty surrounding the funding. About a year back, Dhaka had requested the Russian lender to exten

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Russian funding of nuclear power plant
Moscow mum on extending $11.38b utilisation timeline

FHM Humayan Kabir
Published :
Jun 19, 2025 00:29
Updated :
Jun 19, 2025 00:29

Russia has yet to extend the timeline for its $11.38-billion loan utilisation for Bangladesh although the credit tenure already expired in December last, officials said Wednesday about a looming uncertainty surrounding the funding.

About a year back, Dhaka had requested the Russian lender to extend the loan-utilisation deadline by two more years as works for building the Rooppur nuclear power plant have yet to see the finishing line, they said.

The Economic Relations Division (ERD) had written to the Russian lender for time extension for the loan being utilised to construct the $12.65-billion-cost Roopur nuclear power plant in Pabna.

"We have already requested Russia for extending the deadline by at least two more years up to December 2026. We are hopeful of getting extension formally within a shorter possible time," said ERD Secretary Shahriar Kader Siddiki.

"Since we have completed all discussions with the development partner, we are expecting the loan extension shortly," he told the FE.

Bangladesh signed $11.38-billion-loan agreement with Russia in July 2016 for setting up the maiden nuclear power plant in the country to meet perennial electricity shortages.

Another $500 million worth of loan deal with Russia was signed in November 2013 for the feasibility study of the plant.

The 2400-megawatt nuclear power plant is being built with collaboration of the Russian state-owned atomic company Rosatom.

Some 90 per cent of the project is financed through the Russian loan, repayable within 30 years with a 10-year grace period up to June 2026.

Another ERD official says: "We've good negotiations with Russia regarding the loan-period extension. So, we are hopeful of getting the extension within his month for at least two years."

Asked about the unexplained delay, he said: "There were some reasons behind the delay. We had to go for negotiation with Russia over some extra charges, proposed by Moscow for Dhaka's loan-utilisation delays. Dhaka declined to pay that extra charges. Finally, the lender agreed to scrap their extra charges."

He added: "Since all the settlements have been done in the negotiation meeting, we are expecting the loan-utilisation deadline extended for at least two more years up to December 2026."

According to the draft protocol sent by Russia, the loan tenure, originally set from 2017 to Dec 2024, will be extended by two years as Bangladesh could not complete the project on time.

During a meeting with Chief Adviser of the current interim government Prof Muhammad Yunus on February 26 this year, Rosatom Director-General Alexey Likhachev agreed to amend the Intergovernmental Credit Agreement.

The 10-year grace period would expire in June 2027 and then the Bangladesh government will have to pay back the principal and also pay the interest.

During this grace period between FY2017 and FY2027, Bangladesh needs to pay the interest on the loan only.

Meanwhile, the government has also requested the repayment of the principal and interest to be started from March 2029.

The first installment of the principal amount of the country's largest-ever foreign loan is slated for payment on 15 March 2027. But the government now seeks this cut-off time to be extended up to March 15, 2029.

According to the $11.38-billion-loan deal, Bangladesh will have to repay the loan at LIBOR-plus 1.0 to 3.0 per cent rate. But the interest rate will not exceed 4.0 per cent.

Besides, a commitment fee of 0.5 per cent on the unutilised loan amount, capped at $0.25 million annually, with payments required in the first quarter of the subsequent year.

Officials from both the ERD and the Ministry of Science and Technology have said some factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic, prevailing global conditions, international sanctions impacting the transportation of equipment and goods for Russian organisations, and the sluggish pace of the power-transmission lines' construction, have led to the delays in completing the project.​

 

[Saif]

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant: Further delay in supply

The wait for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant to begin supply gets extended even further. Although the transmission lines have been completed, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will not be connected to the national grid just yet.

en.prothomalo.com

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant: Further delay in supply
First unit may begin supplying power next year as contractor given two year extension.

MohiuddinDhaka
Published: 04 Jul 2025, 19: 44

Rooppur Nuclear Power PlantFile Photo

The wait for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) to begin supply gets extended even further. Although the transmission lines have been completed, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will not be connected to the national grid just yet. The Russian contractor has been given an extension of two years as the work did not finish according to the plan.

Officials concerned say that the deadline had to be extended as the work could not be completed within the initially agreed period. A decision to extend the deadline was made in February last year.

Under the original agreement, the deadline for the first unit was set for October 2023, and for the second unit it was set for October 2024.

Under the new agreement, the deadline for the completion of the construction of the first unit has been set for December 2026 and deadline for the second one is set for December 2027. The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission signed the revised contract with the Russian contractor on 20 June.

Officials involved in the project say that the delay was caused by several factors, including the Covid-19 pandemic, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, foreign experts’ travel complications, and delays in equipment delivery.

The Bangladesh government is required to pay 10 per cent of the money allocated for project expense annually, but that too could not be paid regularly due to a crisis of foreign currency.

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is the largest single infrastructure project in the country’s history. It is being implemented by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission under the authority of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

Built with Russian financial and technical assistance, this power plant being constructed at Ishwardi upazila of Pabna is consisted of two units, each with a power generation capacity of 1,200 megawatts.

The estimated project cost is around Tk 1.14 trillion (Tk 114,000 crore). Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned nuclear agency Rosatom is the main contractor on this project.

There has been no recent delay. The project is now progressing as usual. The delays occurred in the past due to the pandemic and the war. So, the contractor has had an extension. Hopefully, power generation will begin in phases from next year-----Md Kabir Hossain, project director.

There’s a joint coordination committee formed by Russia and Bangladesh to determine policy decisions in the project. During a meeting of that committee held in Dhaka last year, a decision was made to extend the project deadline by two years. However, it took time to finalise the agreement.

According to sources at the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, the Ministry of Science and Technology initially approved a one-and-a-half-year extension. But the contractor did not agree to this. Later, the ministry extended it by six more months, setting the new deadline for June 2027.

The contractor, however, stated, from a technical standpoint it is not possible in any way to complete the project by June next year.

Although the contract allows for an extension of time, the contractor is not permitted to increase the overall project cost. People involved in the project say that the plant is not yet generating any revenue as it did not go into production in time. As a result, the government is forced to bear the operational expenses, which will eventually increase the overall cost of electricity production.

A source involved in the project mentioned that the pace of work at Rooppur slowed down a bit following the political shift in the country last August. They have to wait until December to load nuclear fuel into the reactor vessel. The trial production will begin only after that.

Project director Md Kabir Hossain told Prothom Alo, “There has been no recent delay. The project is now progressing as usual. The delays occurred in the past due to the pandemic and the war. So, the contractor has had an extension. Hopefully, power generation will begin in phases from next year.”

The initial plan was to begin production from the first unit of the nuclear power plant in December 2023. Later it was pushed back to December 2024. The work of the transmission line not being complete was presented as the excuse for that.

However, the state-owned Power Grid Bangladesh opened the transmission line for connecting the RNPP to the national grid on this 2 June. After that, it was announced that trial production would begin within two to three months. Lastly, it was stated that power generation could start in October this year.

A source involved in the project mentioned that the pace of work at Rooppur slowed down a bit following the political shift in the country last August. They have to wait until December to load nuclear fuel into the reactor vessel. The trial production will begin only after that.

According to experts, once the nuclear fuel is loaded into the reactor vessel, the trial production will continue for at least six months. All the tests have to be conducted and international approvals have to be collected in phases during this time. So, there is not much possibility of starting commercial production before June next year.

Professor Shafiqul Islam of the Department of Nuclear Engineering at the University of Dhaka told Prothom Alo that mentioning the grid issues was merely an excuse. An alternative grid setup for trial production had already been prepared. In reality, the Rooppur power plant was not ready.

Stating that if the plant had gone into production on time, pressure on fuel imports for oil-based power plants would have been reduced, he further said that with the delay in the project, the cost of maintaining manpower is going up.

If it takes more than 10 years to implement this project, the cost of electricity generation will rise significantly, Shafiqul Islam added.​

 

[Saif]

Rooppur NPP nears grid connection with transformer commissioning

Bangladesh's journey toward nuclear energy took a major step forward as the main and auxiliary transformers at the first power unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) were successfully commissioned. This milestone signals the plant's readiness for integration with the national power grid, br

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Rooppur NPP nears grid connection with transformer commissioning

FE REPORT
Published :
Jun 29, 2025 10:19
Updated :
Jun 29, 2025 10:19

Bangladesh's journey toward nuclear energy took a major step forward as the main and auxiliary transformers at the first power unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) were successfully commissioned.

This milestone signals the plant's readiness for integration with the national power grid, bringing the country closer to realising its first-ever nuclear power generation, according to a statement released Saturday by Russia's state-run Rosatom.

The announcement underscores the significance of the development.

The main step-up transformers will convert the 24-kilovolt (kV) electricity generated by the turbine into 400 kV, enabling long-distance transmission through the national grid and supporting a reliable supply system.

Each transformer is engineered to handle up to 1,599 MW, well beyond the plant's 1,200 MW output, offering not just operational stability but also built-in redundancy.

With over 150 kilometres of cabling and components weighing around 400 tonnes per phase, the commissioning highlights a highly technical and coordinated feat achieved under challenging logistical and climatic conditions.

In addition to the main transformers, auxiliary transformers-which are responsible for powering all internal systems of the power unit-have also been commissioned.

These auxiliary units are designed to operate in two modes: receiving electricity either from the external grid or directly from the generator once the power unit is fully operational.

Until now, internal systems relied on standby transformers. The commissioning of the main supply circuit marks a critical shift toward sustained operation.

"This achievement reflects the well-coordinated efforts of all involved teams," said Alexey Deriy, Vice President for Projects in Bangladesh at Atomstroyexport, the engineering subsidiary of Rosatom.

"Despite logistical and climatic challenges, the team delivered excellent results. This is a vital step toward the safe and reliable commissioning of the power unit," he added.

In the coming days, a series of hot functional tests will be carried out at the Rooppur NPP.

These include validation of various safety systems and operational protocols-such as the controlled discharge of steam into the atmosphere, which may produce temporary noise but is entirely safe for nearby residents, according to Rosatom.

Rosatom reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to international safety standards, noting that all construction and commissioning activities are being conducted in compliance with global best practices and regulatory guidelines.

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is Bangladesh's first nuclear energy project and is being implemented with financial and technical assistance from the Russian Federation.

The plant features two Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactors, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW, contributing to a total planned output of 2,400 MW. The Engineering Division of Rosatom is serving as the general contractor for the project.​

 

[Saif]

RNPP likely to produce power from October

Bangladesh is expected to join over 50 countries using nuclear power peacefully as one of the two under-construction reactors of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Iswardi will go on production in October...

www.newagebd.net

RNPP likely to produce power from October
Moscow to revise loan agreement, Washington expected to allow transaction with Russian cos
Shakhawat Hossain 20 July, 2025, 00:44

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. | File photo

Bangladesh is expected to join over 50 countries using nuclear power peacefully as one of the two under-construction reactors of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Iswardi will go on production in October.

Officials of the Ministry of Science and Technology have told New Age that around 52 days will take the reactor to deliver potential 1,200 megawatts of electricity to the national grid.New age services

The nuclear power production will start in the power-starved country relying on power plants in neighbouring India, including the controversial Adani power company in Jharkhand, for meeting around 16 per cent its 14,000MW daily consumption in the current summer.

Besides, the power production from the country’s single biggest project under the Russian credit worth around $11.38 billion, almost two years later from the orginal deadline of2024, is expected to check the growing imports of liquefied natural gas that began in 2019 for power production, said energy experts.

Conceived before the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971 Liberation War, the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant at Iswardi, some 150 kilometres west of Dhaka, was started during the Awami League regime that was ousted in the past year amid a mass uprising.

The regime change had dealt a new blow to the power plant since most of the engineers and experts from Russia left the country, said finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed, also in charge of the Ministry of Science and Technology.

MST officials said that problems had been plaguing the complicated and highly technical power plant since its construction began in 2017.

From the pillow scam to the Covid pandemic that has not only delayed the progress of the power plant but sanctions on Russian companies by the United Nation in 2022 also complicated the repayment of loan to Moscow by Dhaka.

The Russian experts have returned to Iswardi while a revision of the overall loan pact with Russia has been completed, said finance adviser Salehuddin Ahmed.

Dhaka has convinced Moscow to extend the loan disbursement period for the nuclear power plant until 2027 from the previous 2024 and also to defer the principal repayment by 18 months from March 2027.

Under the new arrangement, repayments will now commence in September 2028.

So far, $7.7 billion has been disbursed by Russia.

The deadlock in repayment of the loan is expected to be settled soon, said the finance adviser.

A recent appeal by Dhaka to the Federal Reserve, state bank of the US, to allow transection with Russian companies on the ground of peaceful use of nuclear power is under active consideration of the US, said the finance adviser.

Close to $1 billion has been kept in a Bangladesh Bank escrow account to repay loans and interest for the Russia-funded Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant following sanctions were imposed on Russia by the US and its allies after the invasion of Ukraine.

The commission of the first reactor will be done under the supervision of International Atomic Energy Agency, the global promoter of safe, secure, and peaceful use of nuclear technology

An IAEA team will arrive in Bangladesh on a fortnight visit in the next month, MST secretary Mokabbir Hossain said on Saturday.

The MST secretary said that they were expecting to settle the power purchase agreement between the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited and the Bangladesh Power Development Board by an inter-ministerial committee before fuel loading into the reactor.

MST officials said that they were expecting to have a power generation cost of average Tk 6 to Tk 7 per unit by its overall capacity of 2,400MW by the two same-capacity reactors.

The second reactor will be commissioned in 2027, said the officials.

Energy adviser M Shamsul Alam of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh said that they had calculated that the production cost of Rooppur Nuclear power might hit Tk 12 per unit.

He said that the augmentation of nuclear power would not only increase the electricity generation but also the overcapacity that would eventually push up the capacity charge.

Former World Bank Dhaka office chief economist Zahid Hussain noted that the power subsidy due to the overcapacity had eaten almost one-third of the overall subsidy bill under the national budget in recent years.

Capacity payment for idle power plants had drawn huge criticisms for the ousted AL regime while the high production cost of the under-construction nuclear power plant and its loan deal with Russia have been the much-talked about issues at home and abroad.

The cost of per kilowatt power production in Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will be 9.36 cents compared to 5.34 cents from a similar plant in Tamil Nadu’s Kudankulam, India. The high construction cost has been attributed to high production cost by a research released by Springer-Verlag GmbH, Germany in 2022.

On December 23, 2024, the France-based Agence France-Presse reported that the Anti-Corruption Commission launched a probe into the alleged $5 billion embezzlement connected to the nuclear power plant by ousted leader Sheikh Hasina who fled to India on August 5 amid the mass uprising.​