Pakistan denies airspace clearance for Bangladesh nuclear fuel
Bangladesh's Rooppur nuclear fuel transport disrupted as Pakistan denies airspace clearance for the Russian uranium shipment.
The scheduled transport of critical nuclear fuel for Bangladesh's Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) has hit a major roadblock. The shipment of uranium intended for Unit 2 of the facility has been delayed after Pakistan reportedly refused to grant the necessary airspace clearance for the cargo flight.
Uranium shipment delayed due to airspace blockage
The uranium, which was slated to arrive in Bangladesh on September 24, failed to reach its destination as planned. According to Bangladesh's Minister for Science and Technology, Faqir Mahbub Anam, the flight was denied permission to traverse Pakistani airspace, leaving the exact cause for this sudden restriction unknown.
"We heard that a cargo plane carrying uranium for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh was scheduled to arrive on September 24. However, the flight was not given permission to use Pakistani airspace, so the uranium did not arrive in Bangladesh as planned," Minister Anam stated in an interview with ANI.
The delay has forced a rescheduling of the delivery. Officials from Russia's Rosatom have suggested that the uranium might now arrive in the first week of October.
Preparations on standby at airport
The disruption has left Bangladeshi authorities in a state of waiting. Sheikh Mohammed Tauhidul Islam, Joint Secretary to the Bangladesh Science and Technology Ministry, confirmed that all logistical arrangements at the airport were fully prepared for the arrival.
"We had completed all the preparations at the airport and were waiting, but the liaison officer from Rosatom told us that the airspace was not clear. So we couldn’t send it. It may need to be rescheduled," Islam explained.
The Rooppur Nuclear Project and Russian Support
The Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant is a landmark project for Bangladesh, marking the nation's entry into the nuclear energy era. Located in Rooppur village along the banks of the Padma River in the Pabna District, the facility is being constructed with technical assistance from the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom.
The massive undertaking involves the construction of two third-generation VVER-1200 reactor units. Once fully operational, these units are expected to generate a combined 2,400 megawatts of baseload electricity for the country.
A history of secure transport
This is not the first time the plant has received fuel shipments. In October 2023, the initial shipment of low-enriched uranium for Unit 1 arrived safely from Russia. That shipment, consisting of 164 fresh fuel assemblies manufactured by Rosatom's Novosibirsk Chemical Concentrates Plant, was flown directly into Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
To ensure maximum security, that previous shipment was transported from the capital to the plant site in Ishwardi via a heavily fortified "green corridor," guarded by the Bangladesh Army and various law enforcement agencies to prevent any security breaches during the transit of radiation-shielded containers.