With the establishment of the Rooppur nuclear power plant, Bangladesh will become the 33rd nuclear power-using country in the world. The uranium to be used to fuel the power plant arrived in Bangladesh by special flight on Thursday. On Friday it was transported under heavy guard to Rooppur. The official handover of the uranium is supposed to take place at an event on 5 October. This will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Russia's President Vladimir Putin. They both are likely to join the event online.

Also, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi is scheduled to come to join the event. However, it has been learnt that he too may join the event virtually. Likely to be present at Rooppur are minister for science and technology Yeafesh Osman and Russian state-run atomic energy company Rosatom's director general Alexei Likhachev. The uranium that has been brought to Bangladesh will not be used now, but stored at Rooppur. The Rooppur authorities want to start test transmission to the national grid from the power plant's first unit next year. They hope to start commercial transmission of power the same year.

Divisional head of Rooppur nuclear power plant project Alok Chakrabarty, speaking to Prothom Alo, said through the handover event to be joined by the prime minister and the Russian president, Bangladesh will become the 33rd among countries of the world using nuclear power for peaceful purposes. According to the World Nuclear Association website, the countries using nuclear energy include the US, China, France, Russia, South Korea, Canada, Ukraine, Germany, Japan, Spain Sweden, Belgium, UK, India, Czech Republic, Finland, Switzerland, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Hungary, Slovakia, Brazil, South Africa, Mexico, Romania, Argentina, United Arab Emirates, Belarus, Slovenia, the Netherlands, Iran and Armenia.

News Link: Bangladesh set to be a nuclear power using country