IAEA sending fact finding mission to RNPP this month

A technical team of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in the third week of November to examine the country's capabilities to control and manage the NPP safely, securely and economical strength to run the plant over its life span including the safe management of radioactive waste.
"This is the first one...all together five technical team comprising technical, legal, security experts from IAEA members will visit Bangladesh in the next 36 months to examine the Member State's (Bangladesh) competencies and capabilities to be able to control and manage the NPP safely, securely, and economically over its life span including the safe management of radioactive waste," Dr Mohammad Shawkat Akbar, Managing Director of the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Ltd and Project Director of RNPP told the Daily Observer on Wednesday.
Bangladesh is going to build a nuclear power plant, using uranium 235 as the reactor fuel at the proposed plant. However, the waste products of uranium can become dangerous and fatal.
"In a reactor (having 1,200 MW capacity) with 12- month fuel cycle, 42 fuel assemblies are taken out every year for replacement. Each assembly contains 534 kgs of nuclear fuel. It means that the reactor produces approximately 22.5 tonnes of spent fuel every
year," the official added.
Dr Sawkat Akbar said the Member State (wanting to be member of nuclear club) has to ensure all the necessary competencies and capabilities to be able to control and manage the project in proper manner. It is a process that reviews that the member state has complied with the 'IAEA milestones approach' or not.
The IAEA milestones approach is a phased extensive technique that helps a nation by providing pragmatic directions on developing the 19 infrastructure issues including national position, nuclear safety, management, funding and financing, legislative framework, safeguards, regulatory framework, radiation protection, electrical grid, human resources development, stakeholders involvement, site and supporting facilities, environmental protection, emergency planning, security and physical protection, nuclear fuel cycle, radioactive waste, industrial involvement and procurement.
As the works for the preparatory phase of the Rooppur NPP is nearing completion and the main construction is expected to begin in the second half of the 2022, so IAEA plans to starts its job as per schedule, Akbar said.
Under the general contract, they will supply the uranium and check the initial load and auxiliary load of the reactor in next 36 months, the Project Director said.
Both sides have prepared an intergovernmental Agreement on the treatment of the spent nuclear fuel of the Rooppur NPP. In accordance with the established procedure, the document was approved by the Russian Federation and Bangladesh. It is planned to prepare and sign commercial contracts as part of the further development of the intergovernmental agreement.
The Rooppur NPP is the largest joint project based on Russian technologies that will allow Bangladesh to enter the countries that use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.  It will cost Tk 1.13 trillion (US$12.65 billion), with Russian financing worth $11.38 billion for the project.
In August 2019, Bangladesh signed the 'spent fuel sent back' deal with Russian Federation in Moscow for management of the nuclear waste of RNPP.
According to the Ministry of Science and Technology, Bangladesh signed the RNPP deal with Russia as Russia is the lone country who agreed to take back the spent fuel.