A critical shipment of nuclear fuel for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant has been delayed after a Russian cargo flight was reportedly refused permission to use Pakistani airspace, adding a fresh logistical hurdle to Bangladesh’s first nuclear power project.
What Happened
The uranium fuel for Unit 2 of the plant was scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on September 24, but the flight never took off as planned. Science and Technology Minister Faqir Mahbub Anam told ANI that the flight was not given permission to use Pakistani airspace, and that the exact reason for the refusal is still unknown.
Sheikh Mohammed Tauhidul Islam, Joint Secretary at the science ministry, said all preparations had been completed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport when officials were told by Rosatom’s liaison officer that the airspace was not clear. The liaison officer reportedly could not say which country had blocked the route, and Rosatom has not yet responded to ANI’s request for comment.
New Date Proposed
Russia has indicated that the shipment could now reach Bangladesh in the first week of October. Officials say the ministry is coordinating with Rosatom, the Russian state atomic energy corporation that supplies the fuel and builds the plant, to arrange an alternative flight path.
Timeline Under Pressure
The delay comes at a sensitive time for the project. According to revised schedules agreed in June 2025, Unit 1 is slated for commercial operation in December 2026 and Unit 2 in December 2027. Unit 1’s own grid connection has already slipped several times this year, with officials now pointing to October.
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How Fuel Normally Reaches Rooppur
The first fuel consignment for Unit 1 arrived in October 2023, when 164 fresh fuel assemblies made at Rosatom’s Novosibirsk plant were flown to Dhaka aboard a heavy-lift Russian cargo aircraft. The radiation-shielded containers were then moved by road under army and law enforcement security to the plant site in Ishwardi, Pabna.
Flight routes for such shipments depend on overflight permissions from several countries, so a single refusal can ground an entire consignment. With no official explanation yet from Islamabad, how quickly a workable route is secured will decide whether the October window holds, and whether the delay has any real impact on Rooppur’s already tight commissioning schedule.
