Rooppur nuclear power plant is ready to take off
-
-
|
Photo: Collected
Auspicious moment is fixed at exactly 2:30 PM. Only then will the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant fuel transfer certificate and model be issued.
After that, Russian President Vladimir Putin will speak (virtually) and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will speak at the end.
Although the Heads of government of the two countries will join the graduation ceremony of Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, the officials of the relevant ministries and organizations of the two countries will be physically present. For this, a huge pandal has been constructed in the open field adjacent to the Bayek office in the project area. The pandal is designed in such a way that the rain cannot spoil it.
More than five hundred seats have been arranged under Samiana. Where there is a system to listen and watch the virtual speech of the two heads of governments.
Pictures of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and the President of Russia have been installed at various points of the large-scale nuclear power plant. There is also a picture of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh. Also, the picture of the construction contract of Rooppur power plant has taken place as a reminder.
The entire power plant area has been decorated with colorful banners and festoons. The highway outside the main power station has not been left out. All in all, everything is going well in the project area. There is a sense of happiness in the successful outcome among the concerned.
At half past one the invited guests are scheduled to take their seats. Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Russian President Vladimir Putin will join virtually at 2 pm. Nuclear scientist and project director Dr. Md. Shawkat Akbar will introduce the project at the beginning.
After that, there will be a video showing about the production of nuclear fuel and the handing over of the first batch at Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant.
Md. Ali Hossain, Secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology, will give a welcome speech at the beginning of the formal speech. Then the International Atomic Energy Commission (IAEA) Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi will speak via virtual link. Aleksey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom, the main contractor of Rooppur Power Plant, will speak.
Architect Yafes Osman, Minister of Science and Technology, will deliver the speech of the President. At the end of the minister's speech, that moment Issuance of nuclear fuel transfer certificate and model. Model handover program is scheduled at 2.29 pm.
On behalf of Russia, Director General of Rosatom, Alexey Likhachev, will hand over the certificate and model to Bangladesh's Minister of Science and Technology, Architect Yafes Osman. Russian President Vladimir Putin is scheduled to speak at 2.44 pm. Finally Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will address the historical event.
A day before on Wednesday (October 4), Minister of Science and Technology Architect Yafes Osman inspected the overall preparations for the graduation ceremony.
He said, we can say that Rooppur nuclear power plant will change the image of Bangladesh. We have been able to prove once again that Bangladesh can do it. It will contribute 2 percent to GDP. Through this, Bangladesh is going to make its debut as a proud member of the 33 members of the nuclear club.
Uranium is the fuel of nuclear power plant. Uranium is another name for the world's strongest material. It can be used to make dangerous atomic bombs through the process, and is also widely used as an environmentally friendly fuel worldwide.
Generating electricity with oil, gas or coal is bound to emit more or less carbon. However, the pollution in nuclear power is almost zero. Currently there are 449 nuclear power plants in 30 countries of the world. The amount of electricity generated from them is about 12 percent of the total electricity generated. Another 65 nuclear power plants are under construction in 14 countries.
The process of setting up 173 nuclear power plants in 27 countries by 2025 is underway.
Heat is generated by the reaction of uranium in special processes in nuclear power plants. Electricity is generated by turning the generator with the help of steam from that heat. One kilogram of uranium is capable of producing heat equal to about 100 tons of coal. And to produce the same amount of heat oil, 60 tons of diesels will be required. For that reason it is considered easily transportable.
By loading this fuel once, electricity can be obtained continuously for 18 months. To get the same amount of electricity from other fuels, continuous supply has to be continued. Besides, this electricity is known as environment friendly.
From the two units of Rooppur, 1200 MW to 2400 MW electricity will be available. According to the contract, Russia will supply it for the lifetime (80 years) of Rooppur. However, the country will supply this fuel for free for the first three years.
According to the design of the power plant, fuel should be brought from Russia throughout the period. For this reason, the price of uranium has been determined through another agreement. However, the estimated value of the fuel that will come in the first three years is about Tk. 3 thousand crore. In the first phase, 163 uranium bundles are to be assembled or loaded into a unit.
On September 29, the fuel uranium rod of the power plant was carried to Rooppur through strict security. Earlier, this consignment of nuclear fuel was brought to Dhaka's Shahjalal International Airport by a special plane from a factory in Russia. The fuel is produced at Russia's Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant (NCCP).
