First consignment of uranium reaches Rooppur

The first consignment of fresh uranium, the nuclear fuel of the first unit of Rooppur nuclear power plant, has reached Rooppur in Ishurdi upazila of Pabna.

The vehicle carrying the first consignment of uranium reached the Rooppur project site at 1:18 pm Friday under special security arrangements.

According to sources affiliated with the project, the consignment of uranium arrived in Dhaka from Russia on Thursday afternoon on a special air cargo.

The convoy carrying the uranium left Dhaka for Rooppur under special cordon early in the morning today, Friday. The convoy reached Rooppur via Gazipur, Tangail, Sirajganj and the Banpara-Hatikumrul highway.

Meanwhile, the traffic movement on the Pabna-Kushtia and Pabna-Banpara highway was closed down for the passage of the first consignment of uranium. Security was beefed up in the project site. Traffic movement on these roads went back to normal after the convoy carrying the uranium reached Rooppur.

However, the Prothom Alo couldn’t contact any project official for their comment in this regard.

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project is the biggest mega project ever undertaken in the country. The cost of this project is estimated at around Tk 1,140. Of this, the government is providing some Tk 220.53 billion and the rest is being provided by Russia as loan assistance.

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Authority wants to provide electricity in the national grid on a pilot basis from next year. They also expect to start supplying power commercially the same year.