Powering a new national confidence

It begins like a story out of science fiction. A fishing boat drifts quietly on the Padma River before dawn, its oars slicing the mist as the first light spills across the horizon. In the distance, two immense silver domes shimmer in the half-dark, towers of concrete and steel that hum with the quiet promise of atomic fire. The boatman pauses, staring at them as if looking at another world. For decades, this river has carried grain, timber, and jute; now it reflects the glow of a nuclear age. In that reflection lies the story of a country that refused to accept its limitations and chose instead to command its future through science.

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is Bangladesh's declaration that knowledge, discipline, and ambition can rewrite geography itself. Where once there was only fertile farmland and a humble township, now stands a fortress of precision engineering, towards a gateway to energy sovereignty. The plant's completion marks Bangladesh's arrival in the community of nuclear-powered nations. It is a feat that only a handful of developing countries have ever achieved. It is not the product of chance but of five decades of steady purpose: the belief that energy independence is inseparable from national independence.

At the heart and mind of Rooppur stand two VVER-1200 reactors -the most advanced civilian models in the world. It isengineered by Russia's Rosatom. These are Generation III+ units, designed after decades of global experience and built with a philosophy of redundancy, containment, and resilience. Their safety architecture includes passive cooling systems that require no external power and a feature known as the core catcher, which ensures that even in an extreme accident, molten material would remain sealed and cool. This technology is the materialisation of caution, foresight, and trust in physics itself.

In August 2025, experts from eight nations and the International Atomic Energy Agency completed a detailed safety review of Rooppur. Their verdict was clear: the facility met international standards, the team was competent, and the regulatory environment was robust. For Bangladesh, this endorsement was not just technical but symbolic. It is a recognition that a developing nation could meet the world's highest standards in one of the most demanding fields of modern science. The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority(BAERA), that operates with professional independence, now oversees a nuclear enterprise that rivals any in Asia in terms of safety culture and operational discipline.

The partnership with Russia that made this possible has been one of technology transfer, not dependence. The 12.65-billion-dollar contract signed in 2015 went far beyond the exchange of reactors. Under the Engineering, Procurement, and Construction model, Rosatom has not only delivered infrastructure but trained hundreds of Bangladeshi scientists, engineers, and technicians in Russian nuclear institutes. Many of these professionals have returned home to form the backbone of a new domestic industry. Within Rooppur itself, the on-site Training Centre, complete with a full-scale reactor simulator, now stands as a global example of how a developing nation can build operational expertise from the ground up. The IAEA has highlighted it as a best practice in human capacity building.

However, every major scientific achievement invites misunderstanding, and Rooppur has faced its share of unfounded criticism. Public anxieties about nuclear waste, safety, and cost are often shaped by distant disasters and incomplete knowledge. The facts tell a different story. Under the intergovernmental agreement, all spent nuclear fuel from Rooppur will be repatriated to Russia for reprocessing, eliminating the risk of long-term radioactive storage. Geological and hydrological studies have confirmed that the site is seismically stable. Comparisons to Chernobyl are technically baseless: the VVER-1200 design is a pressurised water reactor, not the graphite-moderated RBMK that failed in 1986. It has a negative temperature coefficient, meaning it naturally stabilises itself when temperatures rise - an impossibility for the older Soviet-era design. The reactors are also equipped with post-Fukushima safety systems, including passive cooling that functions without electricity.

The financial narrative is equally misunderstood. The project's price tag should be seen not as an expense but as a 60-year investment in energy security, extendable to 80 years with modern upgrades. The financing, supported by long-term Russian state credit, spreads costs over decades while delivering stable, carbon-free electricity that will pay for itself many times over through reduced fuel imports and industrial competitiveness.

When both reactors begin full operation, they will generate nearly 10% of the country's total electricity demand. However, the true importance of Rooppur lies not in percentage points but in reliability. Nuclear power provides steady, uninterrupted baseload energy - the kind of power that sustains industries, data centres, and digital infrastructure. It complements renewable energy, anchoring a balanced and resilient grid that can support high-growth industrialisation. The plant's operation will also reduce the nation's exposure to global oil and gas price volatility, strengthening the economy's resilience against external shocks.

The ripple effects of this atomic transformation extend far beyond energy. Thousands of engineers, technicians, and specialists have been trained or employed through Rooppur's construction, while universities and technical institutes are introducing new programmes in nuclear science, safety, and regulatory management. This ecosystem is creating the foundation for a knowledge-based economy that will endure long after the turbines begin spinning. Nuclear expertise will also flow into other critical sectors like medicine, agriculture, and materials science, as well as expand the nation's technological horizon.

Rooppur's impact is equally visible on the diplomatic front. It signals that Bangladesh can manage advanced technology responsibly and transparently, strengthening its credibility in global forums. The IAEA's endorsement and strict compliance with international safeguards set Bangladesh apart as a model of peaceful nuclear development in South Asia. This distinction will enhance its standing in emerging frameworks such as BRICS+ and South-South cooperation, where the ability to demonstrate technical maturity and institutional discipline carries enormous weight.

The project's partnership model also reflects a new kind of strategic autonomy. It is not about alignment with one bloc or another, but about pragmatic cooperation based on merit, financing, and mutual respect. In a world where energy and technology are increasingly politicised, Bangladesh's approach is independent, transparent, and focused on outcomes. Itoffers a rare example of balance.

And so the story returns to the Padma, where the same boatman who once stared in awe at the rising domes now ferries schoolchildren eager to see the plant that changed their town. To them, it is not a mystery but a source of pride - a promise that Bangladesh's future will be powered not by chance, but by knowledge. The light that glows across the river at night is more than electricity; it is the glow of confidence, of a nation unafraid to dream in the language of science. The story that began in reflection now ends in radiance, as Rooppur hums quietly into life, the heart of an atomic Bangladesh, beating steady and bright.

News Link: Rooppur and the rise of atomic Bangladesh