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    • Oct 16, 2023
    • 8 min read

Rooppur 2400 MW (BAEC) Nuclear Power Plant

Current Status: Construction

(Source: Organizational Photo)

Rooppur 2400 MW (BAEC) Nuclear Power Plant, also known as Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, is a nuclear power plant situated in Rooppur of Ishwardi upazila in Pabna District, on the bank of the river Padma, 87 miles (140 km) west of Dhaka (Location: 24.1200, 89.0420). It is sponsored by Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), the guidance of the science and technology ministry of the government of Bangladesh. It is the country's first nuclear power plant and the two units are scheduled for commissioning in 2024 and 2025. However, the lifespan of this power plant is designed for 60 years. The power plant has a scheduled retirement date of 2084.


Capacity

The installed (gross) capacity of the power plant is 2.4 GW.


Context

The initial effort to construct a nuclear power plant began in 1961. In 1963, Rooppur village in the Pabna district was designated as the site for the proposed plant, and 254 acres (103 ha) of land were acquired for this purpose. The plan entailed establishing a 200 MW nuclear power plant at this chosen location. Between 1964 and 1966, discussions were held with the Government of Canada, and similar discussions were ongoing with the governments of Sweden and Norway during those years. Unfortunately, no substantial progress was made, and in 1970, the project was abandoned. In 1976-77, the French company Sofratom conducted a feasibility study and determined that the Rooppur project was indeed viable. In 1980, approval was granted for a 125 MW nuclear power plant project. Nevertheless, this endeavor also failed to materialize. Between 1987 and 1988, another feasibility study was conducted, leading to the decision to construct a nuclear power plant with a capacity ranging from 300 to 500 MW. In 1998, steps were taken to build a 600 MW power plant (Bangladesh National Portal, 2019).


In 2005, Bangladesh entered into a nuclear cooperation agreement with China. By 2007, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) had proposed installing two 500 MW nuclear reactors in Rooppur by 2015. China offered financial support for the project In 2008. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) conducted an Integrated Nuclear Infrastructure Review (INIR) mission in Bangladesh, leading to the approval of a technical support project for the Rooppur nuclear power facility by the IAEA in 2011. However, the Bangladeshi government chose a different path and initiated negotiations with the Russian government in the following year. On February 13, the two governments officially signed a memorandum of understanding, and Rosatom, the Russian nuclear agency, expressed their intention to commence construction by 2013 (World Nuclear Association, 2023).


In 2015, the proposal was delayed by a year. Rosatom offered a two VVER-1200 reactor power plant, increasing output to 2.4 GWh (Nuclear Engineering, 2015). On December 25, 2015, representatives of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom signed the contract for the construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant worth the equivalent of US$12.65 billion (Daily Star, 2015).


The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project saw significant milestones, starting with the laying of the foundation stone in October 2013. The main construction phase began with the pouring of the first concrete in November 2017 for Unit 1 and in July 2018 for Unit 2. Key accomplishments included the completion of the reactor pressure vessel installation for Unit-2 in October 2022 and the outside containment concreting for Rooppur Unit-1 in March 2023. This nuclear power plant is expected to contribute 2,400 MW of electricity to the national grid by 2024. Following its inauguration, it will provide uninterrupted power generation for 80 years. (Power Technology, 2023). On 10 October 2021, the prime minister inaugurated the installation work of the reactor pressure vessel (FE 2021c).


Land Acquisition

The power plant is situated at Rooppur village of the Pabna district occupying an area of 254 acres.


Finance

In November 2011, Bangladesh signed a significant agreement for a project with a budget of USD 13.48 billion. The Russian Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs and Bangladesh's state-owned Sonali Bank Ltd are the authorized banks for the state loan. Russia and Bangladesh signed an $11.38 billion loan agreement on 26 July 2016 which will cover 90 percent of the project cost (Daily Star 2016). Sonali Bank Limited will get Tk 50 billion as the commission for importing equipment of Tk 942 billion at a rate of 0.04% charge (Karim 2021) planned to load nuclear fuel into the first unit of the power plant in February 2023 (Rahman 2021).


Sponsors

It is sponsored by the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), a scientific research organization and regulatory body of Bangladesh. (Power Technology, 2023)


Contractors

Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of the Russian Atomic Energy Corporation was chosen by BAEC to serve as the project's EPC contractor. The agreement calls for the supply of tools, supplies, and nuclear fuel in addition to training the project management team. Inter RAO Engineering received a $79.3 million contract to build the plant's infrastructure and dig pits for the main buildings. The contract for pipe-laying work and civil construction was given to the Goldenberg Group of Companies. Orgenergostroy built the pilot bases and residential areas in addition to conducting a thorough engineering survey for the plant. A trilateral agreement was inked in March 2018 to permit Indian companies to participate in the project's installation and construction activities (Power Technology, 2023).


Evacuation

The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited (PGCB) is responsible for constructing necessary infrastructures. The Government of Bangladesh (GOB) signed an agreement with the Government of India (GOI) in October 2017 to get USD 1.06 billion under the third Line of Credit (LOC-3) for constructing transmission lines to evacuate 2400 MW of electricity from two phases of the Power Plant (FE 2020).


For evacuation of electricity from Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, 464 km of 400 kV transmission lines including 13 km river crossing, 205 km of 230 kV transmission lines including 7 km river crossing, 5 bay extensions with a capacity of 400 kV each, 4 Bay Extensions with a capacity of 230 kV each and additional infrastructures are required (Sajid, E., 2022).


According to the agreement, 75% of the services and 65% of public works must be made in India (Rahman 2022a). However, the bidding price submitted by Indian companies was much higher than the estimated cost. PGCB canceled the bidding and decided to scrap the Indian funding for this component (Rahman 2022c).


Telecommunication Network

On 22 March 2022, The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved BDT 3.79 billion for the establishment of an external telecommunication network for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (FE 2022b).


Fuel Supply

All fuel for Rooppur is being provided by Rosatom also known as Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation, is a Russian state corporation headquartered in Moscow that specializes in nuclear energy. A draft agreement on used fuel was signed in March 2017, totaling about 22.5 t/yr from each reactor (42 fuel assemblies, each with 534 kg of fuel) following that further agreement for repatriation of used fuel for reprocessing was signed in August 2017 (WNA 2023). A contract was finalized in August 2019 between Rosatom's fuel company TVEL and BAEC, to serve as the single-source supplier of nuclear fuel for the nuclear power project (Power Technology, 2023). The most common fuel for nuclear fission used by nuclear power plants is uranium. The fuel used in Rooppur is U-235.


Power Generation

The power plant is scheduled to be commissioned by 2024 and 2025, with a total generating capacity of 2.4 GW (1.2 GW per unit). Two VVER-1200 power reactors of the AES-2006/V-392M design will be installed at Rooppur NPP.


Environment

On November 30, 2017, Bangladesh started the journey of its first nuclear reactor at Rooppur, Pabna district and it will be completed by 2024 (Saha, R., et al., 2022). According to Section 12 of the Bangladesh Environment Protection Act 1995, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is obligatory for any industry (MOLJPA 1995). The polluting industries, such as power plants, have to go through an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) and EIA as directed in the Environmental Conservation Rules 2017 (MOEFCC 1997).


A detailed examination of the environmental and social impacts of the Rooppur nuclear power plant project is notably lacking. There is a limited body of literature discussing potential positive and negative environmental effects following the plant's construction. Mollah et al. conducted a comparative analysis between Bangladesh's current power generation methods and the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant's (RNPP) uranium fission-based generation. This method reduces greenhouse gas emissions and atmospheric pollution but carries significant risks, including the potential release of overheated fuel and substantial fission product discharge into the environment. It also raises concerns about nuclear weapons proliferation, which could lead to an unforeseen nuclear catastrophe.

The occurrence of nuclear accidents or radioactive emissions could pose a significant threat to the study area. Radiation exposure in the natural environment can have long-lasting effects on entire ecosystems. Domestic animals and birds in the vicinity of Rooppur may experience adverse outcomes, including fetal development issues, mental retardation, or even death.


Criticism

The involvement of numerous individuals in corruption cases and their subsequent release on bail undermines trust in the legal system and government institutions. The inefficiencies in government procurement processes, exemplified by the rejection of a proposal for curtains due to inconsistent prices, risk wasting public resources (FE 2021b). A total of four cases were filed over a scam and about 20-25 people were accused in these cases but most accused in corruption cases were granted bail in July 2021 (FE 2021a).


A series of incidents highlight a troubling array of issues. Workplace safety and health negligence, as evidenced by the deaths of employees due to excessive alcohol intake and the unresolved murder case, raises serious concerns about the well-being and security of workers. Two Russian employees died due to excessive alcohol intake, while another employee from Kazakhstan died in March 2022 (FE 2022a). Three Belarus employees were arrested for murdering Vladimir, an employee from Kazakhstan (FE 2022c). A Russian employee died of cardiac disease in June 2022 (FE 2022f). Furthermore, the lack of healthcare support and prevention measures for employees' health is disconcerting. (FE 2022g).


The power plant has the probability of delays due to Western sanctions and restrictions on the Russian central bank's international reserves (Rahman 2022b). Lastly, the potential delays in the power plant project due to international sanctions and financial restrictions on the Russian central bank underscore the economic consequences of geopolitical tensions.


References

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