Fuel loading into the reactor of the $12.8 billion Rooppur facility has begun

Bangladesh's Russian-backed nuclear power project has entered its final stage, with fuel loading into the first unit of the facility in Rooppur beginning on Tuesday.

Dhaka's Ministry of Science and Technology said the next step will be for commercial electricity generation to begin gradually on a trial basis at the plant.

Located around 160 km from the capital, Dhaka, the Rooppur facility is Bangladesh's first nuclear power plant and the most expensive infrastructure project in the South Asian country's history.

It is heavily backed by Russia, with Moscow financing $11.9 billion in state loans for the project, estimated to cost up to $12.80 billion.

The project is being implemented by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, and involves the construction of two units, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts.

"Today, Bangladesh has joined the club of states that use peaceful nuclear energy as a reliable source of sustainable development," Rosatom CEO Aleksey Likhachev said. "For Rosatom, this project is another important step in the development of global nuclear power and in strengthening friendly relations with our foreign partners."

The project, for which Russia is providing equipment, nuclear fuel, and engineering assistance, is expected to meet up to 12% of Bangladesh's electricity demand.

The Russian ambassador to Dhaka, Aleksandr Khozin, told local media this reflects his country's continued commitment to the project.

Moscow has also agreed to the long-term supply of nuclear fuel, technical maintenance, and the management of spent nuclear fuel.

Full-scale electricity generation and integration to the national power grid is expected to take approximately ten months

Bangladesh relies on imports for roughly 95% of its energy needs. Commissioning a single unit of the Rooppur plant is estimated tosaveapproximately $1 billion annually in fuel imports, according to experts.

Dhaka expects to slash the country's dependence on coal and gas generation and optimize the national energy balance with the launch of the Rooppur facility.

Coal and oil-fired power plants function for 25 to 30 years, while nuclear power plants operate for up to 60 years. The lifespan can be extended for another 30 years with proper maintenance and refurbishment.

(RT.com)