Kushtia Correspondent: The massive nuclear power project activities are visible from Bheramara in Kushtia on the west bank of the Padma. The cooling towers peeking into the sky are visible even from kilometers away. The height of each tower will be 175 meters. The state’s busyness is going on in the whole area; nobody seems to have a breath. The construction of the visionary project is going on day and night without interruption.
The Bangladesh Awami League’s 2008 election manifesto promised to build the Rooppur nuclear power plant at Ishwardi in Pabna. The party came to power and made Bangladesh’s first nuclear power project a reality. Fresh nuclear fuel, or uranium, for the first unit of the power plant came from Russia. officially handed over on Thursday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin participated in the handover ceremony virtually. Bangladesh has made a new history.
Rooppur area in festive attire around the uranium transfer ceremony. Nuclear power projects are decorated with different colored flags. The colorful painting on the front wall of Greencity Residence is catching everyone’s attention. On the one hand, there is strict security; on the other hand, the decorum is ravishing. All in all, Rooppur is a different place for local residents. Bangladesh has now achieved the status of the 33rd nuclear country in the world.
Earlier, the first consignment of ‘fresh nuclear fuel’ or uranium from the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project arrived on Friday (September 29) afternoon. The shipment was brought from Dhaka to Rooppur by road under the special security of various law and order forces, including the army. Army and law enforcement personnel were in charge of special security for uranium transport. On Friday (October 6), the second consignment of fresh nuclear fuel or uranium from the first unit of the Rooppur nuclear power project, the largest in the country’s history, successfully reached Rooppur in Ishwardi from the capital Dhaka under tight security.
Notably, the initiative to set up a nuclear power plant at Rooppur was taken in 1961, but the pace picked up after 2008. The Awami League promised to implement the Rooppur nuclear power project in the manifesto of the 9th National Parliament election. When the party came to power in 2009, Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister for the second time. He made an agreement with Russia to implement the project. Sheikh Hasina laid the foundation stone for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in October 2013. The Awami League came to power after winning the 10th parliamentary election in 2014 and proceeded with the construction of the project. On November 30, 2017, the project started in full swing on 1,622 acres of land. The 2400 MW power plant has two units. Russia is providing financial and technical support for the project. Officials said that the construction of the project is almost at the final stage, and it will be possible to start it on schedule. In March 2024, the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is scheduled to start generating 1,200 MW of electricity. And the second unit is also expected to start producing electricity of the same amount of megawatts in the middle of 2025. The electricity generated by the project will be connected to the national grid. As a result, it is expected to be significant in meeting the country’s electricity deficit.
