The Rooppur-2 construction site in April 2019. Photo courtesy Rosatom. Russian nuclear fuel company Tvel has finalised a contract with the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission for the supply of fuel for the two-unit Rooppur nuclear power station under construction in Bangladesh.

The contract, originally signed in late 2018, will see Bangladesh procure nuclear fuel from TVEL for the entire operating lifetime of the station.

There are two 1,200-MW V-392M pressurised water reactor units being built at Rooppur, about 150 km northwest of the capital Dhaka. The reactor design has already been used at Novovoronezh 2-1 in Russia.

First concrete for Unit 1 was poured in November 2017 and for Unit 2 in July 2018. Unit 1 is scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2023 and Unit 2 in 2024.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Bangladesh, which has a population of 160 million, plans to produce 9% of its electricity from nuclear power and reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by the middle of the next decade.

“By 2040 we estimate that Bangladesh will need to generate about 78,000 megawatts of electricity in a high-demand scenario and about 69,000 in a low one, and nuclear power will play a significant role,” said Mohammad Shawkat Akbar, project director of the Rooppur construction project.