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Rooppur Nuclear Power
Russian nuclear engineering contractor JSC Atomstroyexport (JSC ASE) has proposed cannibalizing and transferring a Pilot-Operated Relief Valve (PORV) from Unit-2 to Unit-1 to facilitate the startup of the first reactor at Bangladesh’s flagship Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, project officials revealed.
Addressing a press briefing at the ICT Tower in Agargaon, Dhaka, on Thursday afternoon, Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam stated that technical discrepancies in the reactor's primary safety valve system have forced an indefinite postponement of the date for supplying electricity to the national grid from the debut unit. The minister noted that setting an exact date for resolving the glitch or commencing transmission remains unfeasible at this juncture.
Project engineers warned that if the alternative valve cannot be installed, calibrated, and cleared safely, commercial commissioning of the country’s largest mega-infrastructure project could face open-ended delays. The setback stems from recurring test failures within the PORV mounted on the reactor pressurizer—a mission-critical safety safeguard engineered to vent overpressure within the primary cooling circuit.
Rosatom subsidiary JSC ASE informed Bangladeshi counterparts that resolving the issue poses formidable engineering obstacles. Because the valve is tailor-made to match Rooppur’s unique VVER reactor specifications, sourcing a drop-in replacement from the open commercial market is impossible. Consequently, delays hitting Unit-1 threaten severe knock-on disruption for Unit-2, which is already lagging behind its construction baseline.
The crisis was formally addressed on August 17 at the Bangladesh Secretariat during high-level bilateral talks between Science and Technology Ministry officials and Russian Ambassador Alexander Khozin, alongside senior energy policy leaders.
Meeting records show that the Russian contingent acknowledged that the pressurizer PORV on Unit-1 failed mandatory stress testing across five consecutive weeks. The lead designer of the valve has been stationed at the Ishwardi site to troubleshoot the equipment. Russian representatives reiterated that the mechanism is bespoke; deploying additional designers offers no guarantee of alternate outcomes, leaving recalibration and re-engineering of the existing apparatus as the primary technical course.
Ambassador Khozin noted that because the component is engineered for an operating lifespan of 50 to 60 years, extensive physical and structural load verifications must precede deployment to ensure long-term integrity. Science and Technology Secretary Md. Anwar Hossain voiced deep concern over the operational slippages and urged the Russian contractor to outline a definitive, realistic timeline. The Russian delegation requested an additional three to four days to finalize evaluations, with Ambassador Khozin committing to relay Dhaka's concerns to Moscow.
Beyond the PORV dilemma, substantial civil and mechanical works remain unfulfilled. Of the 58 peripheral installations linked to Unit-1, 47 have been handed over to Bangladesh, with provisional operational transfer projected for December 2026. The Bangladeshi side requested simultaneous acceleration of all pending auxiliary works while the valve issue is addressed, prompting JSC ASE to commit an additional high-level expert delegation.
Unit-2 faces parallel slippages. Under original schedules, fresh nuclear fuel loading was set for April 2027, preceded by comprehensive pre-commissioning inspections. However, those schedules have slid backward. The project director revealed that components and spares originally designated for Unit-1 had previously been diverted to Unit-2, which must now be resupplied, mounted, and tested from scratch. While the general contract stipulates provisional transfer of Unit-2 by December 2027, the Russian side agreed to formulate an integrated remedial timetable covering hardware replacement and handover milestones.
Dhaka called for third-party technical reviews to establish the root causes of the recurring delays and devise schedule-recovery plans. Russian officials confirmed that specialists are on site and offered to dispatch extra teams via charter flights—particularly to expedite ventilation, air-conditioning, and prep work for Unit-2. Both parties agreed to maintain technical-level coordination, with another virtual review scheduled following the contractor’s technical report.
Originally estimated at Tk 1,13,100 crore, the revised cost projection for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant now stands near Tk 1,38,700 crore. Being delivered under a government-to-government bilateral agreement with Russia, the twin-reactor facility is central to Bangladesh’s baseload clean energy transition. However, this latest primary loop safety valve failure has injected fresh uncertainty into the commercial launch of the country’s first nuclear power enterprise.
https://thedailyexpress.news/news/bangladesh/1f1a819e-d20b-6af0-826b-03c34ef92ef0