Bangladesh Becomes the World’s 33rd Nuclear Energy Nation as Rooppur Reactor Begins Uranium Loading
Bangladesh has become a member of the "Nuclear Power Club" and has set a target of generating 1200 MW of electricity at full capacity by 2027
Apr 28, 2026 / GMT+6
Bangladesh officially became the world's 33rd nuclear power user on April 28, 2026, with the start of uranium fuel loading operations at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Ishwardi, Pabna.
The fuel loading process of the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has been inaugurated. After going through various stages, 300 megawatts of electricity will be supplied to the national grid by mid-August, 2026.
On Tuesday (April 28) afternoon, Rafael Mariano Grossi, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, joined the fuel loading ceremony held virtually at the project site and wished Bangladesh well on its new journey. Alexey Likhachev, the director general of the Russian construction company Rosatom, said he would continue to stand by Bangladesh in the future.
The uranium assemblies that arrived in the country as nuclear fuel in September 2023 were installed and introduced into Unit 1 of the country's first nuclear power plant on Tuesday afternoon. With this, Bangladesh joined the elite club of nuclear energy users as the 33rd country.
When uranium fuel is placed in the reactor vessel, it will generate heat. That heat will turn water into steam, which will turn a turbine, and from there, electricity will be generated.
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is the largest single project in the country's history. The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project is being implemented by the Atomic Energy Commission under the Ministry of Science and Technology. Under this project, two 1,200 MW units are being constructed by the Russian contractor Atomstroyexport.
The Ministry of Science and Technology and the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission say that the Rooppur Power Plant was recognized as a nuclear facility after the arrival of nuclear fuel in the project area in October 2023. As soon as the fuel was received, Bangladesh was named in the list of countries with nuclear energy. Today, the use of that energy is starting.
Earlier, on September 28, 2023, the first shipment of nuclear fuel arrived in Dhaka from Russia by air. Several more shipments followed. The fuel was transported to Rooppur by road in October under special security. It has since been stored in Rooppur.
The initiative to use nuclear energy began in 1961. The then Pakistani government canceled the project a few years after acquiring land in Rooppur. This initiative was taken up again in the independent country.
Nuclear energy was included as a potential alternative energy source in the National Energy Policy of 1995. In 2011, an interstate cooperation agreement was signed between the Government of Bangladesh and the Government of the Russian Federation.
Under the agreement, a general contract for the construction of a nuclear power plant was signed between the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and Rosatom's engineering company Atomstroyexport in December 2015. The agreement includes the construction of the power plant, supply and installation of equipment, commissioning, test operation, training of manpower, and the supply of nuclear fuel for three years in the initial phase.
People involved in the project say that the construction of the structure of the two units of the power plant in Rooppur is almost complete. The work on the transmission line to supply electricity from the first one has also been completed. Before the fuel is introduced, each step has been completed maintaining international standards. The experimental power generation process can continue for a year. During this time, various tests will also be conducted. Clearances from international organizations and approvals from the country's nuclear agency will have to be obtained.
