First uranium shipment on way to Rooppur under tight security

A convoy carrying the first batch of uranium for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant began its journey from Dhaka to the project site on Friday morning (October 3) under tight security provided by the Bangladesh Army.

The first shipment arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on a special chartered cargo flight from Russia at around 11:44pm on Friday.

A specialised Army security unit loaded the nuclear fuel onto three special lorries and began transporting it to Rooppur at around 7am, officials said.

Police said the more than 200-kilometre route from Dhaka airport to the Rooppur site was placed under a “green passage” arrangement to ensure uninterrupted movement of the convoy. One lane of the highway was temporarily kept clear for the vehicles.

The convoy crossed the Jamuna Bridge at around 9:10am, said Md Amirul Islam, officer-in-charge of Jamuna Bridge West Zone Police Station.

A senior Rooppur plant official said the uranium was taken to the project site after unloading at the airport and completing the required official formalities and security checks. The fuel will be stored at the plant site.

Md Golam Mahabub, chief of administration at the Rooppur plant, said a total of nine flights would transport uranium needed for additional requirements of Unit 1 and the commissioning of Unit 2.