3rd batch of nuclear fuel reaches Rooppur power plant

The third batch of nuclear fuel reached the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant this morning.

Talking with The Daily Star, Engineer Ashraful Islam, site director of the plant, said the third consignment of uranium reached the power plant around 9:30am today under special security arrangement of the Bangladesh Army.

This batch of nuclear fuel assembly reached Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka via a special aircraft from Russia on Thursday. A senior official of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) received the fuel consignment at the airport, he said.

This is the third consignment to reach the Rooppur nuclear power plant in the last three weeks, power plant sources said.

A total of seven fuel consignment for the initial batch of unit-1 is scheduled to arrive at Rooppur within this year, according to senior power plants officials.

"A total of 163 'assembly fresh fuel' will be needed for operating unit-1 in the initial stage," Shawkat Akbar, project director of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, earlier told the Daily Star.

Meanwhile, traffic movement was restricted when the fuel was being transported from Dhaka airport to Pabna, according to law enforcement officials.

Ashish Kumar Shannal, officer-in-charge of Pakshey Highway Police Station, said vehicular movement became regular after the fuel consignment arrived at the project site.