Concerns remain over synchronising electricity with national grid

 

Trial power generation has begun at the first unit of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, with authorities aiming to generate 300 megawatts of electricity within the next 15 days. However, officials remain concerned about safely connecting the nuclear-generated electricity to the national grid.
 
Mahmudul Hasan, chairman of the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA), said on Friday evening that efforts were underway to achieve 300MW generation within the next 15 days.
 
Officials said Bangladesh had never before supplied nuclear-generated electricity to the national grid. Maintaining a stable frequency of 50 hertz during grid synchronisation is a major challenge, as any significant deviation could trigger an automatic reactor shutdown. Restarting the reactor in such a situation would require additional fuel, they added.
 
On Thursday, BAERA approved the commencement of the power start-up process at the plant's first unit.
 
At this stage, a self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is established inside the reactor, allowing its power output to be gradually increased under controlled conditions. Several stages of necessary tests and inspections have already been completed.
 
The first unit, built with Russian assistance in accordance with the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has been undergoing a series of tests before entering the power generation phase.
 
The plant successfully completed most of the Stage B-1 tests and subsequently overcame complications involving tests of the automatic pressure relief valves. The project has since moved into the next phase, known as Stage B-2, which prepares the reactor for initial operation.
 
The completion of this process paves the way for the criticality stage.
 
Criticality is the stage at which a controlled, self-sustaining nuclear chain reaction is established inside a reactor. Once this stage is achieved, the reactor's power output is gradually increased.
 
The authorities plan to begin supplying electricity commercially to the national transmission network once the unit reaches its targeted output of 300MW.
 
Meanwhile, Russia has started supplying nuclear fuel for the initial fuel loading of the VVER-1200 reactor at the plant's second unit.
 
Russia's state-owned nuclear corporation Rosatom disclosed the development in a statement issued on Thursday morning.
 
The government expects electricity generation from the Rooppur plant to be connected to the national grid by November this year. At the same time, work is progressing towards completing the reactor start-up and fuel-loading process at the second unit by June next year.
 
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is being built with Russian assistance and is expected to play a significant role in strengthening Bangladesh's electricity generation capacity.