Fabricated in Siberia by the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NZHK)—a manufacturing subsidiary of Rosatom’s Fuel Division—the fuel assemblies were airlifted to Bangladesh under strict international radiation and physical safety protocols.
Upon arrival at the Rooppur construction site, the specialized transport casks were transferred to the dedicated on-site fresh fuel storage facility. All fuel assemblies are undergoing mandatory incoming inspections, including non-destructive instrumental tests and dimensional verification, overseen by a joint committee composed of representatives from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC), general contractor ASE JSC, and the fuel manufacturer.
Unit 1 Reaches Minimum Controlled Power Level
Commissioning workflows and operational milestones at Rooppur NPP include:
Core Loading of Unit 1: Rosatom’s Engineering Division loaded the initial core of the Unit 1 VVER-1200 reactor earlier in 2026.
First Criticality / MCP Achieved: In October 2026, the Unit 1 reactor successfully reached its minimum controlled power (MCP) level, initiating physical startup physics tests.
Power Escalation towards Commercial Grid Link: Engineering teams are systematically escalating reactor power toward nominal capacity, completing transient testing prior to turbine generator synchronization, trial grid operation, and commercial commissioning.
Unit 2 Timeline: The newly delivered batch will support the initial physical startup of Unit 2 following the completion of primary circuit functional flushes.
