Rosatom, the state nuclear energy corporation of Russia, organised various activities well in advance to celebrate handing over the first batch of nuclear fuel to Bangladesh.
The nuclear fuel was handed over to the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) authority on October 5 through a formal ceremony at the power plant site in Ishwardi.
According to Rosatom, the main objective of the campaign was to highlight the positive aspects of nuclear energy and create interest in science and technology among the local students.
Director General of Rosatom Alexey Likhachev attended an event organized at Green City in Rooppur in the morning on October 5.
He was accompanied by the Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh, Alexander Mantitsky, and senior officials of Rosatom.
During the event, Likhachev interacted with local students and participated in the science-based game ‘Goldberg’.
Speaking on the occasion, the Rosatom DG said, “You should try to create a new idea and work for its practical implementation.”
Prior to this, Rosatom organized video screenings and lecture sessions in 20 schools of Ishwardi from September 17 to October 4, with the purpose to create awareness about nuclear energy.
More than 1,000 school students participated in these sessions.
The engineering division of Rosatom organized a two-week-long Science Olympiad titled ‘Precise Energy’ for school, college, and university students of the region in the second half of September and beginning of October.
The renowned Russian university “MEPhI” was actively involved in the program. Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission provides full cooperation. More than 1,200 students participated from 32 local schools in the junior group and several local universities in the senior group.
The subjects of the Olympiad were Mathematics, Chemistry and Physics. On October 2, the winners of the Olympiad were announced and awarded at a convention center in Ishwardi.
The prizes were handed over to the winners by Nina Dementsova, Head of Communications of Atomstroyexport, and Alexander Nakhabov, Deputy Head, of the Department of Physics, MEPhI University.
Shamima Khatun of Kushtia Islamic University bagged the first position in Mathematics, Sajeeb Mia of Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology in Physics, and Md. Nirab Hossain of Kushtia Islamic University bagged the first position in Chemistry.
Md. Sadmun Sakim, a Bhasha Shahid Vidya School student, won first place at the junior level.
With the aim of highlighting the positive aspects of nuclear energy, 380 square meters of graffiti were painted on the boundary wall of Rooppur’s Green City under the initiative of Rosatom.
The graffiti work was done by the students of the Institute of Fine Arts, Dhaka University under the leadership of renowned artist Tipu Sultan.
The Rooppur project is setting up two nuclear power units, each with a capacity of 1,200 MW. Each unit has 3+ generation Russian VVER reactors, capable of meeting all international safety requirements, and said to be foolproof.
General Designer and Contractor of Rooppur Nuclear Power Project Engineering Branch of Russia’s Rosatom Corporation.