Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation ROSATOM arranged a familiarization tour to Unit- 6 of Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant in Russia for a group of Bangladeshi expert and media representatives on April 17, 2019. The said unit is considered to be the reference plant of the under-construction Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh team members were taken around the important facilities of the plant including reactor building, turbine building, central control room, training center, a cooling tower among others and were briefed on its technological, functional, management and safety aspects.
The Bangladeshi team comprised Dr. Shafiqul Islam, Chairman, Department of Nuclear Engineering, University of Dhaka, Syed Ishtiaque Reza, senior journalist and Editor-in-Chief of GTV and Ahmed Humayun Kabir, Pabna Correspondent of The Daily Star.
Thanking Rosatom for giving the opportunity to visit the nuclear power facility Dr. Shafiqul Islam said, ‘It is significant for us to practically see the reference project of our Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant. The visit has helped me to gain more confidence in the technology, that has been chosen for our maiden nuclear power facility.’
‘I will share the experience with my students and other people to assure them that the under-construction Rooppur project.is going to be completely safe and secure ‘
Syed Ishtiaque Reza, sharing his experience said, “Visiting Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant was an electrifying experience for me. The plant featuring six units is a role model for the global nuclear industry. We have seen how the small city is continuing the legacy of Russian innovation in nuclear power generation. High-level safety and security culture maintained at the plant from the beginning to end was a great lesson for us as we are implementing a similar project in our country.”
Ahmed Humayun Kabir said, “It was interesting to note that a modern city has been developed around the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Project and which directly or indirectly has employed most of the city dwellers. It would really be inspiring for us if a similar model could be followed in the case of Rooppur NPP”.
“There are many things to learn from the experienced Russian operators about how such a hi-tech project needs to be managed to ensure safety and security,” he added.
Unit 6 of the Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant is the world’s first nuclear power plant with Generation 3+ VVER 1200 reactor, which was connected to the grid in 2016. Later a similar unit at the Leningrad Nuclear Power Plant-2, was launched in 2017 and the third one is expected to be launched at Novovoronezh NPP- 2 by the end of 2019.
Nuclear power units with VVER-1200 reactors are now at various stages of implementation in Bangladesh, Belarus, Turkey, Finland, Egypt, Uzbekistan, and Hungary.
An evolutionary model of VVER technology, the VVER- 1200 reactor has some advantages over its predecessor VVER-1000 like the capacity increased by 7%, the number of required operational staff required reduced by 30-40%. The VVER- 1200 is considered to be the safest reactor in the world today and it completely fulfills all the safety requirements set by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Rooppur Nuclear Power Project in Pabna will have two units, each of 1,200 MW capacity. The first unit is scheduled to be commissioned in 2023 and the second unit in 2024. Both the units will be based on VVER-1,200 reactor. – Press release
