The wait for power from Rooppur, the country’s first nuclear power plant, at Ishwardi in Pabna, to reach the national grid is about to end. If all goes to plan, electricity from the plant’s first unit could be fed into the national grid on a trial basis this week.
The target for the first stage is to supply about 300 megawatts this month. That needs approval from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA).
Several sources involved in the project said preparations are under way to connect the first unit’s output to the grid this week, provided no technical problem or unexpected situation arises. The initial work for trial generation and the coordination of various technical systems have already moved ahead.
According to these sources, once the thermal output of the first unit’s reactor is raised to 40 percent, it will be possible to generate about 30 to 35 percent of the unit’s full capacity in electricity. On that basis, the plan is to supply about 300 megawatts to the national grid in the first stage.
Regular supply will not begin as soon as the power reaches the grid, however. After the trial connection, generation and supply will be closely monitored for several days to check for faults or technical problems. If everything is satisfactory, the necessary approval will be sought from BAERA, and only then may the supply be formally inaugurated.
Prime Minister Tarique Rahman may attend the inauguration as chief guest, and Russian President Vladimir Putin may join by video conference. With participation at the top level from both countries in mind, a formal inauguration is planned for December, but the date has not been finalised.
BAERA chairman Dr Mahmudul Hasan said it could not yet be said for certain when supply to the national grid would begin. Efforts are under way to start as soon as possible. After trial supply, every step of generation and supply will be closely tested, and the formal inauguration will come only once it is certain there are no problems. He said the schedule for the inauguration also depends on when the prime minister can give his time.
Project sources said that although supply from the first unit will start at about 300 megawatts, output will be raised in stages. Generating at full capacity and delivering that much power to the national grid could take another five to six months. On that reckoning, the first unit’s full output is likely to reach the national grid between April and June next year.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is being built at Ishwardi in Pabna with Russian nuclear technology, financing and technical support. The project is being carried out by Atomstroyexport, the engineering division of Russia’s state nuclear energy corporation Rosatom. The plant has two units of 1,200 megawatts each. When both run at full capacity, they will add a total of 2,400 megawatts to the national grid.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report