The third tier of the inner containment shell of the reactor building at unit 1 of the Rooppur NPP in Bangladesh was completed on 1 July, according to Russia’s Atomstroyexport (ASE – part of state nuclear corporation Rosatom), which is building the plant. The work on the third tier was completed on schedule by Trest RossSEM specialists in just 118 days, ASE said. A total of 2,000 cubic metres of concrete was laid and new technical solutions were applied that made it possible to increase labour productivity.
This paves the way for the construction of the main tier of the inner containment, on which the polar crane will rely. The polar crane is used for installation of the main equipment of the reactor compartment (the reactor vessel, steam generators, main circulation pumps), as well as pipelines and other metal structures. Its structure is installed under the dome of the reactor building on a special rail in the form of a circle. Rooppur NPP with two VVER-1200 reactors is being built 160 km from Dhaka. Rooppur 1 is currently scheduled to start operating 2023, followed by Rooppur 2 a year later.