Rooppur nuclear fuel due in Dhaka today

Nuclear fuel for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh from Russia on Friday, after a last-minute complication over the use of Pakistan's airspace was resolved and all preparations for the shipment were completed.

If everything proceeds as planned, a special cargo aircraft carrying the fuel will land at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka by Friday afternoon, and the consignment will subsequently be transported to the Rooppur plant in Pabna on Saturday under tight security and special arrangements, according to a senior project official. The fuel had originally been due on Thursday; however, the flight was cancelled at the eleventh hour after Pakistan withheld permission to use its airspace. Although Bangladesh and Russia had finalised the necessary preparations, an alternative arrangement was subsequently made to bring the fuel in a day later.

According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, the sensitive nuclear fuel is being carried by a special cargo aircraft under stringent security measures, with advance clearance required from every country whose airspace the aircraft will traverse. Moreover, fuel for Rooppur's second unit will be delivered in seven consignments, while two further consignments will be brought in to refuel the first unit, making nine shipments in total.

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Meanwhile, Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom has indicated that the entire fuel supply for the plant is expected to be completed by December. Consequently, today's delivery represents a pivotal milestone in the long-delayed project, though the timely arrival of the remaining shipments will depend on similarly smooth diplomatic and logistical coordination.