Pre-OSART mission to begin at Rooppur nuclear plant Sunday

A 15-member Pre-Operational Safety Review Team (Pre-OSART) from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will start work at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant on Sunday, ahead of the first fuel loading at Unit-1 of Bangladesh's maiden nuclear facility.

The mission, led by IAEA Senior Nuclear Safety Officer Simon Philip Morgan, with Head of Operational Safety Section Juraj Rovney as deputy team leader, arrived at the plant site in Ishwardi upazila, Pabna, this afternoon.

Project Director Md Kabir Hossain told The Daily Star that the team will work until August 27, reviewing 11 key operational areas to ensure the plant's safety before fuel loading begins.

"Everything depends on the IAEA's pre-OSART mission. After receiving their report, we will proceed to the next step for fuel loading and operation," he said.

Built with Russian financial and technical support at $12.65 billion, the Rooppur plant will have two VVER-1200 reactors with a combined capacity of 2,400MW of electricity.

Following a three-year delay, Unit-1 is now in its final stages of preparation, with fuel loading expected in early November.

"We have already completed hot and cold functional tests at unit-1 and conducted a series of trials to prepare it for fuel loading," said Site Director Engineer Md Ashraful Islam.

Under international regulations, the IAEA conducts pre-OSART missions within three to six months before the first fuel load to ensure operational safety.

"This pre-OSART mission is crucial for the safety of the country's first nuclear power plant before fuel loading and the start of operations," said Ashraful.