An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team of experts said that the operator of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Bangladesh is committed to further enhance its operational safety performance. The team also encouraged the operator to continue to improve safety in areas including fire prevention and response arrangements, as well as in the supervision of plant operations.

The Pre-Operational Safety Review Team (Pre-OSART) mission ran from 10 to 27 August and was conducted at the request of the Government of Bangladesh to assess the safety of Unit 1 of the Rooppur NPP, prior to its planned commercial operation.

Pre-OSART missions assess safety performance against IAEA safety standards and advance operational safety through recommendations and suggestions. These missions are specifically designed to assess a plant before its first fuel loading.

The Rooppur NPP is in the Pabna District on the banks of the Padma River, approximately 160 kilometres northwest of Dhaka, Bangladesh’s capital city. The plant, owned by Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, will be operated by Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited. The plant consists of two units, both VVER-1200 reactors. Bangladesh is a newcomer to the nuclear power industry, and the construction of the country's first two units in Rooppur began with the first concrete pouring on 30 November 2017 for Unit 1 and 14 July 2018 for Unit 2. When completed, Rooppur NPP will contribute a total of 2400 MW(e) to Bangladesh’s energy grid.

The Pre-OSART team reviewed operating practices of Unit 1 in the areas of leadership and management for safety, training and qualification, operations, maintenance, technical support, operating experience, radiation protection, chemistry, emergency preparedness, accident management and commissioning. The team comprised 14 experts from Bulgaria, China, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The mission team also included IAEA staff members and one observer from the Russian Federation.

Prior to the mission, the team reviewed documents from the Rooppur NPP on its main technical features, staff organization and responsibilities, and its arrangements for operations. During the mission, the team observed the plant’s commissioning and pre-operational activities, examined indicators of its performance and held in-depth discussions with plant personnel.

The Pre-OSART team observed that the staff at the plant are knowledgeable, professional and committed to improving the operational safety and reliability of the plant. The team said that the technical exchanges with the plant’s staff were fruitful and that there was a good exchange of experience and knowledge on how the common goal of excellence in operational safety could be further enhanced.

“The transition from commissioning to operations is one of the most important stages for the safe operation of a nuclear power plant,” said Simon Morgan, Senior Nuclear Safety Officer at the IAEA. “The team observed a commitment from the plant management to assure that all the required pre-requisites are in place to enable this transition to take place safely and in accordance with national and IAEA standards.”

The team identified areas of good practice to be shared with the nuclear industry globally, notably the Rooppur Training Centre’s integration of a state-of-the-art simulator to train refuelling machine operations.

The mission also provided some recommendations to further improve safety, including:

• To enhance the fire safety arrangements and prevention measures to ensure effective mitigation of fire risk and effective fire response.
• To improve the supervision, standards and conduct of plant operations.
• To strengthen the arrangements for equipment preservation during commissioning to ensure adequate protection of systems and components.

“Bangladesh is committed to achieving and sustaining high standards of the operational safety and reliability of?its first NPP, the Rooppur NPP. The country is reinforcing the high safety standards for Rooppur NPP by participating in the Pre-OSART mission to ensure compliance with IAEA safety standards for the plant's construction and operation,” said Md. Kabir Hossain, Project Director of the Rooppur NPP. “This engagement with the Pre-OSART mission demonstrates the country's dedication to building a safe and reliable nuclear facility and fostering a strong nuclear safety culture. Bangladesh views such IAEA peer review missions as a vital tool for self-assessment, allowing the country to evaluate its adherence to international safety standards and identify weaknesses in the national nuclear programme.”

The team provided a draft report of the mission to the plant’s management. They will have the opportunity to make factual comments on the draft. These comments will be reviewed by the IAEA, and the final report will be submitted to Bangladesh within three months.

Background

General information about OSART missions can be found on the IAEA website. An OSART mission is designed as a review of programmes and activities essential to operational safety. It is not a regulatory inspection, nor is it a design review or a substitute for an exhaustive assessment of the plant’s overall safety status.

Follow-up missions are standard components of the OSART programme and are typically conducted within two years of the initial mission.

The IAEA safety standards provide a robust framework of fundamental principles, requirements and guidance to ensure safety. They reflect an international consensus and serve as a global reference for protecting people and the environment from the harmful effects of ionizing radiation.