Rosatom specialists have completed an audit of the main equipment at unit 1 of the Rooppur NPP under construction in Bangladesh. The final check of the readiness of the unit equipment for physical start-up of the reactor has been carried out, and an operating licence has been received.
The work was carried out by specialists from JSC Atomtekhenergo (part of Rosenergoatom, Rosatom’s Electric Power Division). During the work, the reliability of the systems was confirmed after hot testing during which the technological systems were tested in conditions as close as possible to operational conditions.
Specialists from the commissioning organisation confirmed the design characteristics of the systems after running-in the reactor at nominal parameters, unloaded fuel assemblies simulators from the reactor core, and completed commissioning work on transport and technological equipment. The refuelling machine was tested in dry and underwater modes, which confirmed its readiness to work with nuclear fuel. Boron flushing of the primary circuit systems was successfully completed, ensuring the absence of chemically desalted water in the pipelines.
“The stage of checking the main equipment of the reactor installation is a strictly regulated and mandatory operation in the programme for preparing the power unit for physical start-up,” said Denis Muzlov, Deputy General Director and Director of the Atomtekhenergo in Bangladesh. “We were convinced of the operability of the safety systems and main equipment of the reactor, and completed the full scope of testing of technological systems, automated process control systems and ETO systems [Electrotechnical Operations] planned at substage A-4. The experience gained by the Atomtekhenergo specialists in implementing similar stages in reference blocks allowed us to carry out the work in strict accordance with all safety standards.”
Substage A-4 is the final phase of the pre-commissioning (or “non-nuclear”) testing programme at a nuclear power unit. At this stage, the reactor has not yet been loaded with nuclear fuel, but all its physical systems are tested together to ensure they work exactly as designed under conditions that mimic actual operation. Completing the testing of ETO systems means that the plant’s “nervous system” and internal power grid are fully functional and safe to operate during the next phase of nuclear fuel loading
“The next stage at unit 1 will be a physical start-up, during which 163 fuel assemblies with nuclear fuel will be loaded into the reactor core. During 2026, the unit will be brought to a minimum controlled power level, followed by an energy start-up stage with the supply of electricity to the country’s system,” noted Alexey Deriy, Atomstroyexport Vice President for projects in Bangladesh.
The nuclear power plant «Ruppur» with two VVER-1200 reactors with a total capacity of 2400 MW is being built according to a Russian project 160 km from the city of Dhaka. The VVER-1200 generation III+ project fully complies with international safety requirements and is already successfully operated at leading nuclear power plants in Russia and the world.
The Rooppur plant is being built by Rosatom on the eastern bank of the Ganges River in the Pabna district of Bangladesh, about 160 km northwest of Dhaka. It will comprise two VVER-1200 reactors. In November 2011, Russia and Bangladesh signed an inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in the construction of the NPP, and in mid-December 2015 a general contract was signed. Construction of unit 1 began in November 2017 and unit 2 in July 2018. The plant’s design life is 60 years, with the possibility of extending its operating life for another 20 years. Fresh fuel for the units was delivered to the site in the latter part of 2023.
