‘Rooppur power generation timeline uncertain over valve fault’

Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam said on Thursday that the start of trial electricity generation from the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant remains uncertain as a technical fault in a critical valve has delayed the planned schedule.
The first unit was earlier expected to begin trial generation in September, but the government is now unable to give a specific timeline, he said.
The minister made the remarks while answering questions from journalists at a press conference on the upcoming ‘Bangladesh Innovation Fair 2026’ at the secretariat.
He said engineers has been working for around one and a half months to resolve problems with three PORBs (Pressurised Operative Regulatory Valves), of which only one is currently functioning.
“Two of the valves are not working. They have been opened and tested several times, but they did not open even after applying the required temperature and pressure. They have to be cooled down and then opened again,” he said.
Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom has sent five specialists to Bangladesh to resolve the problem, and they are currently working at the Rooppur plant, the minister said.
“We have brought people from Russia to fix these valves. I cannot say how many days it will take. We are waiting and watching,” he said.
The minister said more than 2,000 tests had been conducted at the plant before fuel loading and that those tests had been completed successfully.
Had the subsequent testing proceeded smoothly, around 300MW of electricity could have been supplied to the national grid by the end of September, he said.
“But at this moment, we cannot give a timeline. The engineers are working on it. We are keeping track of the situation. Please wait a little,” Mahbub Anam said.
He stressed that meeting the country’s electricity demand was a top priority, but safety and security remained the highest priorities for the nuclear facility.
“Safety and security is the highest priority. A project like this is located in the middle of the country. We can start the project only after ensuring that it is safe and secure,” he said.
The minister said the plant has to pass several testing stages, including B-1 and B-2, before reaching the critical stage. A clearer timeline for electricity generation and grid supply would be available once those stages are completed.
He expressed hope that an update on the issue could be provided within the next seven days.

Fire at Rooppur site
Regarding the recent fire at the Rooppur site, the minister said the incident occurred outside the nuclear plant’s core and restricted-access areas.
The fire started from a short circuit at a civil department office near Gate No. 1 and an adjacent server room, he said. Some chairs and furniture were damaged, while some documents were affected. However, the documents had backups and there was no major loss, he said.
“Thank God, it happened outside the core nuclear plant. It occurred near Gate No. 1,” the minister said, adding that an investigation committee was looking into the incident.
Asked whether there had been a lack of caution, he said short-circuit-related fires could happen anywhere, including homes, but the incident was being investigated because it occurred at a sensitive site such as Rooppur.
The minister also said the price of electricity generated by the plant had not yet been finalised and would be determined soon as the project and related processes progressed.
Rooppur is a nearly $20 billion project and is also a matter of prestige for Rosatom, he said.