PABNA, October 3, 2026: The first consignment of uranium fuel for Unit-2 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant reached the project site in Pabna on Saturday afternoon under tight security.
Three uranium-loaded lorries arrived at the plant around 12:25pm after departing Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at about 7:15am under an escort of the Bangladesh Army, Pabna Deputy Commissioner Aminul Islam said.
A special cargo aircraft carrying the consignment landed at the Dhaka airport at around 11:44pm on Friday. Following necessary formalities, the uranium was transported to Rooppur in three lorries, while another vehicle carried associated equipment.
A team of Russian specialists also accompanied the consignment. Personnel from the Bangladesh Army, police and intelligence agencies were deployed to ensure security throughout the transportation.
The shipment had originally been scheduled to arrive on September 24, but the flight was reportedly denied permission to use Pakistani airspace, delaying its arrival.
According to project officials, nine uranium consignments are scheduled to be delivered to Bangladesh by December—seven for Unit-2 and two for refuelling Unit-1.
The first uranium fuel consignment for Rooppur Unit-1 was delivered to Bangladesh in 2023.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant consists of two 1,200-megawatt units, giving it a combined generation capacity of 2,400MW. Construction of the Russian-assisted project began in 2013 at an estimated cost of more than Tk1.13 lakh crore.
Meanwhile, Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd (NPCBL) Managing Director Dr Zahidul Hasan said testing of the 16MW high-pressure system associated with the reactor protection and safety systems was successfully completed on Wednesday after a defective valve was replaced.
