The third consignment of nuclear fuel, or uranium, for the second unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant arrived at the project site in Pabna on Tuesday morning amid tight security.
The convoy, carrying the fuel on three trucks escorted by the Bangladesh Army, entered the plant premises through Dashuria traffic intersection at 7:48am after travelling along the Natore-Kushtia-Pabna highway.
Security was tightened along the highway as army personnel and other law enforcement agencies escorted the uranium-laden vehicles.
Traffic on Pabna-Natore-Kushtia highway was suspended for half an hour, from 7:30am to 8am, to ensure the safe and uninterrupted movement of the convoy.
The consignment arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka from Russia via Delhi, India, on Monday morning aboard by a flight operated by Aviacon Zitotrans.
The aircraft carried 41 tonnes of nuclear fuel in 12 transport packages.
Officials of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) subsequently received the consignment.
The convoy left Dhaka for Rooppur in Ishwardi at around 2:30am.
Ashadur Rahman Asad, Officer-in-Charge of Ishwardi Police Station, said police and other law enforcement agencies provided special security to ensure the convoy reached the project site without traffic congestion.
According to the plan, nine more flights are expected to transport an additional 48 uranium fuel assemblies for the first unit and 163 for the second unit between November and December.
The consignments will travel from Russia to Bangladesh via Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.
Meanwhile, the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant successfully began its nuclear reaction on October 11, following final approval from BAERA on October 8 to proceed with the next phase of operations.
A high-level team from Russia's state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom also visited the project from October 20 to 23 to review construction progress and the plant's overall development.
This week, the first unit entered the critical Stage-C, or power startup, phase after successfully completing the B-2 physics tests and other required examinations and activities.
Dr Md Zahedul Hasan, managing director of Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd (NPCBL), said electricity generation would initially begin on a limited scale.
“Generation will gradually increase as the subsequent activities are successfully completed,” he said.
Once the plant reaches 30 to 35 percent of its capacity, it will be able to supply electricity to the national grid.
The authorities expect the first unit to begin supplying at least 300 megawatts of electricity to the national grid by the end of this year.
