Rooppur 1 boron flushes completed, ahead of fuel loading

The work, described as one of the key stages of preparation for the first criticality test at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant’s unit 1, was completed in what its operators described as a record-breaking 81 hours.

According to the plant's social media channels: "This result was achieved thanks to the highly organised production processes and the coordinated and professional work of the specialists involved in the project. Boron flushes are a crucial technological step preceding the loading of nuclear fuel into the reactor core and the subsequent physical startup of the power unit.

"The results of the work confirm the readiness of the power unit for the next stage - physical start-up."

According to a report earlier this month in Bangladesh's The Daily Star newspaper, it was told by senior Ministry of Science and Technology officials that fuel loading is scheduled to take place during April.

There are a number of stages of checks and tests in the commissioning process for a nuclear power reactor - all taking place under strict regulatory oversight. And these continue after first criticality, with new units having their power increased in stages, with safety tests and checks at each level before the power output is increased.

The Rooppur project

In February 2011 Russia's Rosatom signed an agreement for two reactors to be built at Rooppur, about 160 kilometres from the capital Dhaka, for the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission. The initial contract for the project, worth USD12.65 billion, was signed in December 2015. The Bangladesh Atomic Regulatory Authority issued the first site licence for the Rooppur plant in June 2016, allowing preliminary site works, including geological surveys, to begin.

Construction of the first unit began in November 2017. Construction of the second unit began in July 2018. They have an initial life-cycle of 60 years, with a further 20-year extension possible.

The first batch of nuclear fuel was delivered to the site in October 2023 - the moment that the site got its status as a nuclear facility. In March last year, Rooppur unit 1's turbine installation was completed, as were hydraulic tests to check the primary circuit systems and equipment, followed by hot functional tests. Rosatom has included grid connection for Rooppur unit 1 as one of its key targets for the current year.