Bangladesh - World Nuclear Performance Report

Two VVER-1200 units are under construction in Bangladesh at Rooppur, on the east bank of the Padma River, about 160 km northwest of Dhaka.

Construction of unit 1 began in November 2017, followed by unit 2 in July 2018. The reactors are designated as V-523, which are based on the V-392M reactors at Novovoronezh II in Russia. Once completed, the two-unit plant is expected to provide about 9% of the country’s electricity. In October 2023 Bangladesh received its first delivery of nuclear fuel, marking the point when the Rooppur site became a nuclear facility.

Earlier, in October 2022 the government announced that the construction of Rooppur was running approximately one year behind schedule due to issues stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Unit 1 is now expected to start providing electricity to Bangladesh’s national grid in 2026. In March 2025 hydraulic tests were completed, and the turbine was
installed at Rooppur 1.