The nuclear fuel hand over ceremony (graduation ceremony) for Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant will be held at the plant site in Pabna on Thursday as Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Russian president Vladimir Putin are scheduled to virtually join the ceremony.

The two leaders are scheduled to join the handover event of the Certificate and Model of Nuclear Fuel through virtual platforms, an official source said.

Science and technology affairs minister Yeafesh Osman will be present at the function as Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi will attend the event virtually.

Director General of ROSATOM, Russian Federation Alexei Likhachev will also be present at Rooppur site.

Science and technology secretary Md Ali Hossain and project director of RNPP construction Md Shawkat Akbar will be present as well.

The science and technology secretary said that all arrangements for holding the historic graduation ceremony of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant and handing over of the Certificate and Model of Nuclear Fuel had been completed.

‘We are ready for holding the programme successfully. Guests will join the event from four points and deliver speeches,’ he said.

Bangladesh is going to be 33rd nuclear power-using country in the world in the perspective of uranium handing, receiving ceremony as part of the government’s commitment to ensure energy security in the country.

The first consignment of nuclear fuel for RNPP reached Pabna by a special flight on September 28.

According to the project details, the government expects to commission the first unit of RNPP in September 2024 and the second in mid-2025.

There are 30,000 people, including 7,000 professionals, working on the project. The project is expected to operate for 60-80 years.

Sources said that Rooppur nuclear power plant would be able to take Bangladesh to unique heights by entering the nuclear club as it will also be able to play a leading role in meeting carbon emission reduction targets.

At the same time, it will reduce the cost of power generation in a flash.

The project layout said the RNPP will generate 2,400 MW of electricity everyday and ensure global initiative of reducing carbon emission.

Rosatom, as a Russian contractor, was involved in the construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant, which consists of two units with 1,200 megawatts capacity each.

The Atomic Energy Commission, under the ministry, is implementing the RNPP project. The Russian contractor Atomstroyexport is constructing two 1200 MW units under the project. The nuclear fuel is being produced by Rosatom’s associate company TVEL Fuel. Various countries around the world purchase nuclear fuel from them.

According to the World Nuclear Association website, the countries using nuclear energy include the US, China, France, Russia, South Korea, Canada, Ukraine, Germany, Japan, Spain Sweden, Belgium, UK, India, Czech Republic, Finland, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Hungary, Slovakia, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Romania, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Iran and Armenia.

Once the nuclear fuel is loaded into the power plant’s reactors, power can be produced for one year. After that, the fuel will have to be reloaded into the reactor.

In October 2021, Rooppur unit-1 was almost completed, with the placement of the reactor within the unit’s structure. It was set up in accordance with the IAEA standards.

The reactor is the main component of a nuclear power plant. The second unit’s reactor was set up in October last year.

According to the ministry, in 2013, during prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Russia, a loan agreement for the Rooppur nuclear power project was signed.