The construction of Bangladesh’s first nuclear power plant at Ruppur started in November 2017. On October 10, 2021, Bangladesh became the 33rd country in the world to produce electricity through nuclear reactors with the RPV installation of the first unit of the power plant. In terms of expenditure, the budget for this mega-project, the biggest ever in Bangladesh, has been estimated at $13 (12.65) billion or about 1 lakh 14 thousand crore taka. Under this project, two units with a total power generation capacity of 2400 MW are being constructed in two phases. The first unit is going to start generating electricity on a trial basis by the end of 2023, said Project Director Dr. Md Shaukat Akbar. According to a source at Dhaka Tribune, the Uranium-235 fuel required for the first unit of the nuclear power plant in the country is going to arrive in September 2023.

Currently, Bangladesh has a power generation capacity of more than 25 thousand MW (25,566). According to the power system master plan of the power department, the power generation capacity of Bangladesh by 2030 is more than 40 thousand megawatts, and by 2041, the target has been set to increase to 60 thousand megawatts. The Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant will play an important role in achieving this target. According to Euro Nuclear, 8 and 12 kilowatts of electricity can be generated per kg of coal and fuel oil, respectively, while around 24,000 megawatts of electricity can be generated from each kg of Uranium-235. It is expected that the Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant will play an important role in the industrial development of Bangladesh as a cost-effective and reliable power generation source after its inauguration.