Rooppur unit-1 begins nuclear fission reaction

Unit-1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant initiated its first nuclear fission reaction yesterday, marking a major milestone for Bangladesh’s first nuclear power project.

The reaction, which begins a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction, started at around 3:34pm after the plant received regulatory approval, Md Anwar Hossain, secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, told The Daily Star.

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“For the first time, the commissioning team began the fission reaction at unit-1 today. We successfully started the process while every parameter performed according to design,” he said.

The development marks the reactor’s first criticality -- the point at which it reaches a stable critical state at minimum thermal power and sustains a nuclear chain reaction for the first time.

Project officials said engineers are closely monitoring reactor parameters, safety systems and control equipment throughout the process. The physical start-up phase, including first criticality, is expected to take about 30 to 40 days, after which power generation will be increased gradually based on test results.

Dr Md Zahedul Hassan, managing director of Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd, explained that heat produced through nuclear fission would convert water into high-pressure steam, which would drive turbines connected to generators to produce electricity.

Operators would continue monitoring the reaction to ensure compliance with all safety requirements and prescribed parameters, he added.