Akbar told the press that the shipment arrived the day before by a special airway, without giving details for security reasons.

According to media reports, Aleksey Likhachev, director general of the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom, will officially hand over the fuel to the Rooppur nuclear power plant authority on October 5.

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin are expected to participate in the ceremony virtually.

Subsequently, the fuel will be taken by road to the project site at Rooppur in Ishwardi, Pabna, under the custody of the army and law enforcement agencies.

The fuel was produced at the Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NCCP) in Russia, a subsidiary of Tevel, Rosatom’s manufacturing company.

Rosatom, as a Russian contractor, was involved in the construction of the Rooppur nuclear power plant, which consists of two units of 1,200 megawatts capacity each.

Shawkat Akbar reported that Bangladesh expects to commission the first unit in September 2024 and the second in mid-2025.

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