Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant at Rooppur is expected to begin supplying electricity to the national grid by the end of August 2026, Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology and Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam told Parliament on Sunday.
Responding to a starred question from ruling party lawmaker Md Mostafizur Rahman Babul (Jamalpur-3), the minister said the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) has now entered the commissioning and startup phase, which he described as the final and most critical stage before commercial power generation begins.
He called the project a milestone in Bangladesh’s energy sector, noting that it is the country’s first nuclear power facility and a major step toward diversifying electricity sources and strengthening long-term energy security.
According to the minister, fuel loading activities for Unit 1 began on 28 April 2026. Since then, engineers have been carrying out a series of technical procedures, including boric acid application, reactor and primary circuit testing, safety checks, and subcriticality experiments as part of the commissioning process.
He explained that the next steps will involve gradually bringing the reactor to a critical state, followed by integrated testing of control and protection systems. The reactor will initially operate at low power levels as part of staged startup operations.
Power output is expected to be increased gradually during testing phases, starting from around 10-12 per cent capacity and later reaching 35-40 per cent, allowing engineers to conduct further evaluations and ensure operational safety.
Once all required tests are completed successfully, the generator is expected to be synchronised with the national grid approximately 114 days after fuel loading began.
The minister expressed confidence that by late August 2026, Unit-1 would be capable of delivering around 300 megawatts of electricity to the national grid, marking a major milestone in the country’s power generation history.
