Russian fuel company Tvel (part of state nuclear corporation Rosatom) has been designated as the single-source supplier of nuclear fuel for both units of Rooppur nuclear power plant in Bangladesh for their entire lifecycle.
The contract, signed in late 2018, was announced this week after a public ceremony marked the end of the required procedures in Bangladesh.
The Rooppur NPP is being built by Rosatom about 160km from Dhaka. The $12.65 billion General Contract for construction of two generation- III+ VVER-1200 reactor units was signed in December 2015. Unit 1 of Russia’s Novovoronezh II NPP is the reference plant for the project.
Rosatom will maintain the Rooppur plant for the first year of its commercial operation before handing over to the Bangladesh authorities and will bear fuel costs for the first year of service.
Bangladesh has signed a deal with Russia to procure the required uranium for the first two years of operation, according to a report in Energy Bangla.
The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority issued the first site licence for the Rooppur plant in June 2016. First concrete for Rooppur 1 was poured in November 2017, and for Rooppur 2 in July 2018. The two units are scheduled to begin operation in 2023 and 2024.