Despite worldwide coronavirus worry, lockdown and stagnant economic system, the construction work of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) is going on in full swing maintaining strict health guidelines. Around 40 percent of the work has been completed so far. If all goes well, it will be possible to install a nuclear reactor of the first unit by September 16 this year, official said.
Rooppur nuclear power plant is the country’s first nuclear power plant. The power plant is being implemented by Rosatom. The main construction work of the power plant is continuing at Rooppur in Pabna while its essential machineries are being made in Russia.
It is a top priority project of Bangladesh government. The project will host two units, each with the latest generation 3+ VVER 1200 reactor. Total capacity of the plant is estimated 2,400 MW. The government believes at least 1,200MW unit of electricity from the first nuclear plant will be added to the national grid by 2023. The second with the same amount of power will be launched by 2024.
On Wednesday, a Rosatom official said the 6th tier of the inner containment dome of the reactor building has been installed at the site of the RNPP for Unit 1. The large-sized metal structure of 44m diameter and 185t weight has been installed in its regular place on the cylindrical part of the reactor building containment at elevation +44.100.
“The first of the three tiers of the inner containment dome part has been assembled. The assembly took place as usual. The next stage of the work will be to mount the subsequent of two tiers pre-assembled into one unit of the reactor dome containment, at the design level. As soon as both structures are welded together, we will start concreting the dome”, Aleksey Deriy, Vice President - ASE JSC Director for the Rooppur NPP construction project said.
Preparations for this operation took several months. The metal structures of 3 tiers of the reactor building dome were pre-assembled into 2185t and 191t reinforced metal units on special slipways located in the immediate proximity of the power unit.
Earlier, Architect Yeafech Osman, Minister of Science and Technology, told the Bangladesh Post that the construction of the nuclear power plant is underway by taking all necessary measures to prevent spread of corona infection at the site, following the Bangladesh Government and WHO health guidelines.
Project officials said the construction work of the Rooppur Power Plant is going on in full-swing despite coronavirus pandemic.
Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is planned and being constructed according to Russian design. The plant will have two power units with latest generation 3+ VVER 1,200 reactor, which will fully meet all international safety requirements.
Recently, Minister Architect Yeafech Osman visited the project area and said that significant progress has been made in the last one year during the epidemic as per the schedule of the Rooppur nuclear power plant project. Meanwhile, the work of the second unit as well as the first unit is going on smoothly.
"We have taken steps to bring all project workers under vaccination program. Russian nationals along with Bangladeshi officials and engineers of the project are getting Russian vaccine Sputnik V,” he added.
Project official said about 30,000 workers and employees, including foreigners, are working to complete the power plant within the stipulated time. Authorities concerned are strictly following hygiene rules for all of them.
Dr Mohammad Shawkat Akbar, managing director of the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd and the project director said, “We regularly check the health of each worker twice a day.”
“We have already completed 38 to 40 percent of the work of the country's largest development project and we expect to complete the work on time as scheduled,” he added.
