Rosatom to build a research reactor in Bangladesh

Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom plans to take part in the construction of a research reactor in Bangladesh, Head of the corporation Alexey Likhachev said on the sidelines of the 67th annual session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, Austria.

Research reactors are nuclear fission-based nuclear reactors that serve primarily as a neutron source. Compared to nuclear power reactors, research reactors have a simpler design, operate at lower temperatures, require far less fuel and, therefore, result in far less waste, according to IAEA.

"In Bangladesh, specialists have been dreaming of a powerful research reactor for many years. We plan to build it in Bangladesh together with our Bengali partners," he said, reports Russian state-owned news agency TASS.

Likhachev added that in early October, Rosatom will deliver fuel for the country's first nuclear power plant in Rooppur. The company expects to take further steps for developing this project as well as cooperation in new directions.

Rooppur NPP

The Rooppur nuclear power plant, with two VVER-1200 reactors, is under construction 160 km from Dhaka. 

For the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, a Russian project with VVER-1200 reactors was selected and successfully implemented at two power units of the Novovoronezhskaya NPP in Russia. 

According to the TASS report, this is an evolutionary project of generation III+, which fully meets international safety requirements.

Construction of the plant began in 2021. The engineering division of Rosatom carries out the design and construction of the facility. 

The life cycle of VVER-1200 reactors is 60 years, with the possibility of extending the operating life for another 20 years. 

Construction of the first and second power units of the plant is currently underway.