Russia’s state-owned Rosatom has begun loading nuclear fuel into Unit 1 of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh, marking a major step toward operating the country’s first reactor.

A total of 163 fuel assemblies will be loaded before the reactor is brought to controlled power and gradually ramped up. Electricity generation will then begin and be connected to the national grid.

Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said the project marks Bangladesh’s entry into peaceful nuclear energy and will serve as a key pillar of its energy system, while also strengthening international cooperation.