Karachi : At a time when Bangladesh has sought to rebuild ties with Pakistan, it has faced a reality check. Pakistan has blocked its airspace to a Russian flight carrying nuclear fuel for Bangladesh’s Rooppur nuclear power plant. The timing is significant as Bangladesh is looking to begin commercial operations at its first nuclear power plant at the earliest, as it faces its worst energy crises in decades.
Pakistan’s denial of airspace clearance is likely to delay the delivery of nuclear fuel and, potentially, affect the plant’s operational timeline. Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy major Rosatom is implementing the Rooppur project and is responsible for delivery of uranium to Bangladesh. Bangladesh science and technology minister Faqir Mahbub Anam said no reason was provided by Islamabad. The Russian flight was supposed to cross Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, and India before landing in Dhaka.
Bangladeshi media reports suggested that the airspace denial happened at the eleventh hour. However, Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) has remained tight-lipped about which country denied the airspace permit. Tauhidul Islam, joint secretary at the Science Ministry, said all preparations had been completed at the airport when officials were informed by Rosatom that it had not received airspace clearance. Rosatom has now rescheduled the delivery through an alternative route. Nuclear fuel shipments for the Rooppur plant will now resume in October.
“The remaining fuel batches bound for Bangladesh will arrive by December across seven separate cargo flights,” Rosatom stated, assuring Bangladesh that the project schedule won’t be impacted. “Pakistan attaches high importance to its relations with Bangladesh. It would therefore be appropriate to view the matter in its proper technical context and not attach undue significance to reports or narratives that may seek to misplace it to undermine our bilateral relations,” the Pakistani embassy said.
The Rooppur nuclear power project
The Rooppur nuclear power project, being constructed along the Padma River, is strategically important for Bangladesh as a major part of its plan to expand reliable electricity generation. Bangladesh is among the world’s major importers of electricity, with most of it being sourced from India. It is essential to keep its massive garment factories running, which in turn fuels its economy. The Rooppur project has already been delayed by two years due to the Covid pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war.
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