Pakistan denies airspace to Russian flight carrying Bangladesh's nuclear fuel
What's the story
Bangladesh's first nuclear power plant project, the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, has hit a snag after Pakistan denied airspace clearance to a Russian flight carrying nuclear fuel for Unit-2 of the power plant. The delivery was scheduled for September 24 and is crucial as Bangladesh faces its worst energy crisis in decades. Bangladesh's Science and Technology Minister, Faqir Mahbub Anam, confirmed that Pakistan did not grant airspace clearance but did not specify the reason.
Official confirmation
All preparations were in place, says Bangladesh official
"We heard that a cargo plane carrying uranium for the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant...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," Anam told ANI.
The flight was supposed to cross Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and India before reaching Dhaka.
Tauhidul Islam, joint secretary at the Science Ministry, said all preparations were in place when Rosatom informed them about the airspace issue.
Delivery rescheduled
Rosatom changes delivery route
Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom, which is implementing the Rooppur project, has now changed the delivery route for the nuclear fuel.
Anam has suggested the Uranium to land in Bangladesh in the first week of October.
"The remaining fuel batches bound for Bangladesh will arrive by December across seven separate cargo flights," Rosatom said, assuring Bangladesh that the project schedule won't be impacted.
Official response
Pakistan cites technical and procedural issues
The Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka has cited "technical" and "procedural issues" for the airspace denial.
"With regard to the reports being quoted, the matter appears to relate to technical and procedural arrangements concerning flight routing and airspace permissions, which can occasionally require coordination among the relevant aviation and other authorities and may result in adjustments to flight schedules," it said.
However, it remains unclear if Bangladesh has formally raised this issue with Islamabad.
Project significance
Rooppur project crucial for Bangladesh's energy security
The Rooppur project is crucial for Bangladesh's energy security and economic growth. It has already been delayed by two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions.
In April, Bangladesh took a significant step toward joining the nuclear power club when fuel loading began at Unit-1 of the power plant.
It paved the way for the country's first nuclear-generated electricity to reach the national grid.
In August, the final round of testing started.
Energy crisis
Bangladesh is facing a severe power crisis
Preparations are underway to send around 300 megawatts of electricity to the national grid on a trial basis in October.
Bangladesh heavily relies on natural gas-fired power plants and costly imported natural gas from the Middle East.
However, amid the ongoing Iran war and Bangladesh's dependency on gas imports, the country has been experiencing its worst power crisis for over two months now, with load-shedding lasting 10-16 hours a day in some rural areas.