UPDATE 2-Russia's Rosatom begins loading fuel into Bangladesh's first nuclear plant

Russian nuclear energy corporation ​Rosatom has begun loading nuclear fuel into the ​first reactor at the Rooppur ‌nuclear power ​plant in Bangladesh, it said on Tuesday. This first step in the reactor's start-up phase is followed by an increase to its minimum controlled ‌power level, with power then increased gradually to supply electricity to a Bangladesh grid that comes under strain every summer as rising temperatures drive up demand.

Russian nuclear energy corporation ​Rosatom has begun loading nuclear fuel into the ​first reactor at the Rooppur ‌nuclear power ​plant in Bangladesh, it said on Tuesday.

This first step in the reactor's start-up phase is followed by an increase to its minimum controlled ‌power level, with power then increased gradually to supply electricity to a Bangladesh grid that comes under strain every summer as rising temperatures drive up demand. Officials say generation will start at low levels with full output not ‌expected until 2027. That leaves the country still facing an energy crunch this year because of the ‌war in the Middle East. Bangladesh relies heavily on imported oil and gas, much of it from the Middle East, where shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have been disrupted since fighting began in late February.

The Rooppur nuclear plant, with planned ⁠power ​generation capacity of 2,400 megawatts ⁠across two reactors, will add Bangladesh to the list of more than 30 nations that have operating reactors. The estimated project cost ⁠is about $13 billion, with Russia providing a state loan covering 90% of that.

Rosatom head Alexei Likhachev said that Bangladeshi ​Prime Minister Tarique Rahman had confirmed the government's commissioning of the first unit and its approval ⁠to complete the rest of the plant in talks on Tuesday. Rosatom plans to commission the first unit by July 2026 ⁠and the ​second unit in 2027.

Bangladesh’s Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam said the plant’s first reactor is expected to begin commercial operation in August, with officials estimating an initial supply of about 300 ⁠megawatts following fuel loading and safety tests. He said that about 1,100 megawatts from the 1,200 MW Unit ⁠1 are expected to be ⁠fed into the national grid by the first week of January next year, with the unit reaching full capacity later that month.