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.

Construction at the site continues to progress, with concreting of the outer containment shells of the two units achieved in March 2023 and January 2024, respectively. 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 2025. 

In April 2024, Bangladesh’s then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina said the country intends to build two more units at the Rooppur site.