Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant

The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (Bengali: রূপপুর পারমাণবিক বিদ্যুৎ কেন্দ্র) is a 2.4 GWe nuclear power plant in Bangladesh. It consists of two 1200 MWe VVER-1200 reactors. The nuclear power plant is located at Rooppur in Ishwardi Upazila on the bank of the river Padma, about 160 km northwest of Dhaka. It is the country's first nuclear power plant, and the first of the two units is expected to become operational in 2026. Safety review by the IAEA was successfully completed in late 2025.

The plan to establish a nuclear power plant in the then East Pakistan was made in 1961. In 1963, the Rooppur village of the Pabna district was selected for the proposed plant and 260 acres of land was acquired. The plan was to establish a 200MW nuclear power plant on the selected site. The plan to construct a 200 MW power plant was completed in 1969 with the assistance of Belgium. Pakistan government. After Bangladesh separated from Pakistan, the government of Bangladesh resumed the effort to construct the 200-megawatt nuclear power plant. From 1977–86, the French company MS Sofratom carried out a feasibility study and determined that the Rooppur project was viable. Subsequently, the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) approved a 125 MW nuclear power plant. However, the project did not materialize. In 1987–88, another feasibility study was conducted by Lahmeyer International and Motor Columbus which again proved that the site was technically, economically, and financially viable for a 300–500 MW nuclear power plant. Between 1997 and 2001, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) embarked on a new initiative to develop a nuclear power plant with a capacity of 600 MW. In 2005, Bangladesh signed a nuclear cooperation agreement with China. Two years later, in 2007, the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) put forth a proposal for the construction of two 500 MW nuclear reactors in Rooppur, aiming for completion by 2015. In 2008, the Bangladeshi government reaffirmed its commitment to collaborate with China on the construction of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, with China extending an offer of financial support for the project. A year later, on 13

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