‘Uncertainty’ looms in Rooppur Power Plant’s progress. When will it be operational?

Numerous obstacles, including the pandemic and war, have delayed the progress of Bangladesh's first nuclear power project

Before the change in government, the Awami League administration indicated that the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant was likely to be operational in January this year.

After the political shift, officials involved in the project have expressed doubts about whether it can be launched by the end of the year.

The Rooppur nuclear project in Pabna’s Ishurdi faced numerous setbacks, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

The initial work on the two-unit, 2,400 MW plant began in 2013, with main construction starting in 2017.

Following repeated delays in the installation and transmission line work, officials are now facing renewed uncertainty regarding the project's completion.

A unit was supposed to supply power to the national grid by mid-2023, but this has yet to happen, despite fuel being stockpiled for the unit as early as October that year.

The project authorities claim that the first unit has not been able to begin production for the past year due to incomplete transmission lines.

Md Zahedul Hasan, project director and scientist of the Atomic Energy Commission, told bdnews24.com: "The technical work for the power plant's construction has been completed.

“Now, two 400 kV transmission lines are required to carry out tests and inspections."

“One line was commissioned in December. Another will be ready within March. After that, the first unit will be able to prepare for trial production.”

He, however, added that it will take at least four months to complete different stages before trial production can begin.

Power Grid Company of Bangladesh, or PGCB, Managing Director Abdur Rashid Khan told bdnews24.com that, although there has been some delay in the line construction, the capacity to transmit at least 600 MW of electricity has been ready for several months.

"However, due to the lack of other technical preparations for the project, production may not have started yet. Therefore, PGCB is not fully responsible for the delay," he added.

Several PGCB officials, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told bdnews24.com that another power substation is required for the project, but it has not yet been completed.

“The telecommunications system for the substation is also not ready.”

They added that in many places, the land around the substation has not been prepared.

Therefore, it can be said that there is a lack of readiness in all aspects.

Russia’s state-owned company Rosatom is leading the implementation of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project.

Scientists from the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission under the Ministry of Science and Technology are heading the work.

Other agencies involved include the Power Development Board, or PDB, Fire Service, Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Limited, and the Public Works Department, among others.

Speaking with project stakeholders, it has become clear that there are coordination issues among government offices, but none of the officials are willing to speak on record about this matter.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024, one of the major projects facing uncertainty is the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

Allegations of $5 billion in corruption against the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s family have also surfaced in connection with the country's first nuclear power plant.

OBSTACLES IN THE PROJECT

The idea of setting up a nuclear power plant in Bangladesh began in 1961.

However, it gained momentum after the Awami League government took office in 2009.

In 2013, during the then prime minister Hasina’s visit to Russia, the two governments finalised the plan for the nuclear power plant.

On Dec 25, 2015, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission signed an agreement with Russia's Rosatom subsidiary, Atomstroyexport, to implement the project.

The cornerstone of the project was laid by Hasina in October 2017.

In November of the same year, the construction of the reactor’s core and the concrete pouring for the water cooling dome of the first unit began.

The construction of the second reactor started in July of the following year.

The main structure of the plant was expected to be completed within 68 months of the start of the work.

According to the plan, the first unit, with a capacity of 1,200 MW, was expected to be connected to the national grid by mid-2023.

The second unit was scheduled to be operational the following year.

Once completed, the plant would be the largest power station in Bangladesh, with a lifespan of 60 years, extendable by another 20 years.

The project was initially set to be completed in five years, but delays have raised concerns that it might take eight years or longer to finish.

The progress was hampered in early 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic caused several months of work stoppages.

Work resumed in 2021 after nearly a year of stagnation.

However, after the Russia-Ukraine war started in February 2022, the United States imposed economic sanctions on Russia, affecting the project.

The project requires six transmission lines for electricity distribution, and delays in the construction of these lines have been one of the primary reasons for the slow progress.

The project began in April 2018 with a two-year deadline for completion. The construction of the transmission lines, which were to be done by Indian contractors under an Indian loan agreement, also faced delays when Indian contractors demanded higher project costs.

In response, Bangladesh decided to fund the work independently, leading to a two-year delay in the transmission lines' construction.

The deadline for completing the transmission lines was set for December 2024, with the first unit expected to be operational by then.

In February last year, former science and technology minister Yeafesh Osman announced that the first unit would be operational by January 2025, and the second unit would follow in 2026.

The timeline for the first unit’s operation has already passed.

According to the PGCB’s website, the construction of three transmission lines along the Padma and Jamuna rivers began in July 2022, with the project expected to be completed by June 2025.

Amid public protests, Indian workers involved in the transmission line construction left the project citing safety concerns in August 2024, although they later returned to work.

After the government change, reports of at least $5 billion in corruption related to the Rooppur project surfaced in a British news outlet.

The news triggered local media coverage, and a writ petition was filed in the High Court.

The Anti-Corruption Commission, or ACC, has started an investigation into the corruption allegations related to the Rooppur project.

Those involved in the project say that Russia, the contractor for the project, is unhappy with the investigation.

After the interim government took office, it was said the first unit of the power plant would be operational by December 2025, but approval from Russia for this proposal is still pending.

Project Director Zahedul said, "The project's timeline should be extended now, but it has not been approved by Russia yet."

In 2015, Bangladesh entered into a $12.65 billion loan agreement with Russia for the construction of the two-unit power plant.

According to the agreement, Russia would bear 90 percent of the cost, with Bangladesh covering the remaining 10 percent.

The Russian bank involved in the project, Vnesheconombank, or VEB, has been placed under full US sanctions, impacting financial transactions.

Bangladesh is exploring alternative methods, such as using Chinese banks or other options, to continue the financial transactions.

PROGRESS UPDATE

Bangladesh will emerge as the 33rd nuclear power-producing country with the launch of the Rooppur project.

Although fuel has arrived, uncertainty remained over the completion of the power transmission line. Several steps of the main project, including tests, were also pending.

Initially, the first unit was expected to start operations in December 2024, but the timeline was later shifted to January this year.

After that deadline passed, Rooppur Plant Project Director Zahedul spoke to bdnews24.com on Feb 2.

He said the artificial fuel had already been loaded into the reactor vessel in December.

The reactor coolant pump, or RCP, had been tested, and four water pumps were examined in phases. This process would take about a month.

Although the artificial fuel loading began in September last year, reports at the time mentioned that the process would take two weeks.

The project director added that once the power transmission line is ready, internal electrical connections of the plant will be tested in the next phase.

The two transmission lines will also need to be connected, which will take another month.

Before the core operations begin, internal connections must undergo further testing, requiring an additional month.

Following this, the final stage, or physical start-up, will begin, which will take two months.

When asked about the test run of the first unit, the project director said a new 400 kV grid line would be ready by March.

“Once it arrives, final testing will commence in four phases. As per international standards, this testing phase may take up to four months.”

He highlighted that it would take a month to load fuel into the reactor once the transmission line is ready.

If everything proceeds as planned, Bangladesh may experience nuclear electricity between June and July.

He, however, noted that multiple factors could influence the timeline, making it difficult to specify exact dates for each step.

PGCB’S EXPLANATION FOR THE DELAY

PGCB said six grid lines are being constructed to transmit electricity from the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

Among them, the 65 km 230 kV Rooppur-Baghabari transmission line was completed in June 2022. The 102 km 400 kV Rooppur-Bogura power line was completed in April last year while the 51 km 400 kV Aminbazar-Kaliakair transmission line was completed in June.

Three other lines are nearly complete: the 144km, 400kV Rooppur-Gopalganj line, the 147km, 400kV Rooppur-Dhaka (Aminbazar-Kaliakoir) line, and the 145km, 230kV Rooppur-Dhamrai line.

These lines cross the Padma and Jamuna rivers. PGCB aims to finish the 2 km Padma River section of the 400 kV Rooppur-Gopalganj transmission line by March.

These lines cross the Padma and Jamuna rivers. The PGCB is working to complete the 2km Padma section of the 400kV Rooppur-Gopalganj line by March. The 7km Jamuna sections of both the 400kV Rooppur-Dhaka and 230kV Rooppur-Dhamrai lines are expected to be finished by December.

For the remaining river sections, 7 km of the 400 kV Rooppur-Dhaka transmission line and 7 km of the 230 kV Rooppur-Dhamrai transmission line are expected to be completed by December.

These lines will be required for transmitting power from Unit-2 of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.

Currently, power from Unit-1 can be transmitted using the completed 400 kV Rooppur-Bogura and 230 kV Rooppur-Baghabari transmission lines, allowing up to 600 MW of power transmission.

PGCB expects the 400 kV Rooppur-Gopalganj transmission line, essential for transmitting the full 1,200 MW from Unit-1, to be ready by March or April.

Explaining the delay, the state-owned company said funding for river sections was initially arranged under India's Line of Credit, or LOC, requiring Indian contractors for the first tender.

The river-crossing sections were then removed from the Indian financing and brought under the government's funding plan, requiring a new international open tender.

This process took around 18 months, delaying river-crossing construction compared to land sections.

However, the second tender resulted in bids nearly 40 percent lower than the first.

However, the second tender offered bids about 40 percent lower than the first.

The estimated cost for the river section construction under the government plan is Tk 60.56 billion.

ADDITIONAL COSTS DUE TO DELAYS

The authorities have not specified the exact monthly expenditure for the Rooppur project, but an estimate can be made based on discussions with the project director.

He said a total of 22,000 personnel are working in three shifts at the plant, most of whom are highly educated in nuclear technology, mechanical engineering, and heavy engineering.

Among them, 7,000 are Russian citizens while the remaining 15,000 are Bangladeshi engineers and workers.

Russian engineers receive a monthly salary of $3,000 to $5,000. Assuming an average of $4,000, the monthly expenditure on their salaries amounts to $28 million.

At an exchange rate of Tk 120 per dollar, this equates to Tk 3.36 billion.

Local workers earn between Tk 30,000 and 50,000, while engineers receive around Tk 80,000 per month.

Assuming an average salary of Tk 50,000, the monthly expenditure for local personnel is Tk 750 million.

The final amount may vary, the project director said.

According to these calculations, the annual expenditure on the Rooppur project is nearly Tk 50 billion.

The longer the delays, the higher the additional costs.

The costs incurred by Russia are considered loans for Bangladesh.

Initially, loan repayments were set to begin in 2027, but both countries have now agreed to start payments in 2029.

The delays and uncertainty surrounding the project have drawn criticism from civil society.

Shamsul Alam, energy advisor of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh, or CAB, told bdnews24.com: “Cost overruns due to delays are nothing new. But a bigger issue is the lack of transparency in this massive project.

“The cost per unit of electricity has not even been determined. Why did we take such a risk?”

He believes that each incident related to the project should now be investigated by independent individuals.

“The science and technology ministry must provide explanations for what has happened. So far, we have not received any clarification from the ministry,” he added.

[Writing in English by Sheikh Fariha Bristy]