A catastrophic fire at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport’s cargo village on October 18 has not only inflicted damages estimated to surpass $1 billion but has also dealt a severe blow to Bangladesh’s flagship Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP) project.
Among the incinerated cargo were 18 tons of critical electrical equipment and components imported from Russia, essential for the plant’s second unit. This incident, occurring against a backdrop of escalating US-Russia rivalry and domestic political upheaval, raises fresh concerns about the future of the $12.65 billion initiative โ Bangladesh’s largest-ever infrastructure endeavour and a cornerstone of its energy security strategy.
The project, situated on the banks of the Padma River in Pabna district, about 160 kilometres northwest of Dhaka, represents Bangladesh’s bold entry into the nuclear age. Envisioned as early as 1961 under Pakistan’s rule, the project gained momentum in 2011 when Bangladesh signed a landmark agreement with Russia’s state-owned Rosatom corporation.
Construction commenced in November 2017, with Russia financing 90% of the costs through a concessional loan โ repayable over 28 years at low interest rates.
The facility features two VVER-1200 reactors, each generating 1,200 megawatts, for a total capacity of 2,400 MW, enough to meet 10-15% of the nation’s electricity demand by the early 2030s. Rosatom oversees engineering, procurement, and construction, while Indian firms contribute to ancillary infrastructure like transmission lines.
Under former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government, Rooppur symbolised national resilience, much like the domestically funded Padma Multipurpose Bridge, which overcame international donor scepticism.
Sheikh Hasina championed the project despite Western pressures, viewing it as vital for diversifying Bangladesh’s energy mix away from depleting natural gas reserves and polluting coal imports.
As of mid-2025, the plant stood at approximately 70% completion, with nuclear fuel already delivered and system-level tests underway. Officials had targeted trial operations for Unit 1 in December 2025 or January 2026, followed by 10 months of testing before commercial grid integration in late 2026.
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Yet, Rosatom’s involvement has long thrust Rooppur into the crosshairs of US-Russia geopolitical friction, intensified by Moscow’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and subsequent Western sanctions. The US, seeking to curb Russia’s influence in South Asia, has imposed sweeping restrictions on entities dealing with sanctioned Russian ships and banks, complicating logistics for projects like Rooppur.
In December 2022, for instance, Bangladesh barred the Russian-flagged vessel โUrsa Majorโ (also known as Sparta III) from docking at Mongla Port after US warnings, forcing the cargo โ vital equipment for the plant โ to be rerouted via India and eventually delivered by alternative means.
Similar hurdles persisted into 2023, with Bangladesh resorting to payments in Chinese yuan to bypass dollar-based sanctions on Russian banks. These episodes underscore how US measures, aimed at isolating Russia economically, have inadvertently delayed Bangladesh’s energy ambitions, forcing Dhaka to navigate a delicate balancing act between its key partners.
After the riots in August 2024, when US-backed Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus assumed power of an interim government, the US provided diplomatic and economic lifelines, including tariff reductions from 37% to 20% on Bangladeshi exports in April 2025 and commitments to deepen ties in security and trade.
Meanwhile, reports have emerged of a secretive non-disclosure agreement (NDA) between the Yunus administration and the US, stipulating limits on Bangladesh’s military procurements from rivals like China and Russia. This pact, inked to secure tariff concessions, has sparked accusations of eroding Dhaka’s strategic autonomy, potentially jeopardising ongoing Russian collaborations like Rooppur.
These tensions have manifested in a series of unsettling incidents at the project site, fueling suspicions of sabotage or external interference. In May 2025, amid labour unrest, 26 officials โ including 12 graduates from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET) โ were suspended in two phases by the Nuclear Power Plant Company Bangladesh Limited (NPCBL).
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The move followed demands for the removal of Project Director and NPCBL Managing Director Dr. Md. Zahedul Hassan, whom protesters accused of mismanagement.
Official notices cite “anti-disciplinary or sabotage activities” and neglect of duties, barring the officials from the construction site for security reasons. They were outright dismissed for violating service rules during a week-long sit-in that halted operations. These internal fractures, exacerbated by post-Hasina transitional chaos, have slowed progress and strained workforce morale.
More alarmingly, the project has been plagued by mysterious deaths of foreign personnel. On September 21, 2025, 26-year-old Russian electrician Karpov Krill, employed by ESKM โ the contractor for Unit 1 โ was found dead in a house in Dhaka’s Jigatola area, near the project periphery.
Authorities attributed the cause to a heart attack, but the circumstances have sparked whispers of foul play, echoing broader conspiracy theories about efforts to derail Russian-backed ventures. Rosatom has dismissed such narratives, emphasising the project’s transparency, but the incidents have amplified doubts in a climate of US-Russia proxy pressures.
Compounding these woes, corruption allegations have tarnished Rooppur’s legacy. In December 2024, the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) launched a probe into claims that Sheikh Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, and niece Tulip Siddiq (a UK Labour MP) embezzled over $5 billion from the project via inflated costs and kickbacks facilitated by Rosatom through Malaysian banks.
The accusations, first aired in an August 2024 report by the US-based Global Defense Corp.โa propaganda websiteโprompted Rosatom to denounce them as a “discrediting attempt” and vow to defend the project’s integrity in court.
The ACC’s inquiry, now ongoing under the Yunus regime, highlights how domestic graft probes intersect with international rivalries, potentially inviting further scrutiny from Western watchdogs.
Despite these headwinds, Rosatom and NPCBL officials insist the project remains on track. In August 2025, NPCBL Managing Director Dr. Md. Zahedul Hassan reiterated that Unit 1’s trial production could commence in December 2025 or January 2026, with full operations 10 months later.
The plant will demand around 2,000 trained personnel for maintenance, of whom about 1,000 have been prepared through specialised programs.
Grid integration efforts are advancing: The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) tested the Rooppur-Gopalganj line in June 2025, following completion of Rooppur-Bogura (June 2024) and Rooppur-Baghabari (May 2022). Two additional lines โ Rooppur-Dhaka (Kaliakoir-Aminbazar) and Rooppur-Dhamrai โ are slated for June 2026.
The airport fire, however, could push timelines further awry. A seven-member probe committee is investigating potential negligence or arson, with a Russian delegation already inspecting the site. Replacing the lost 18 tons โ part of a nuclear fuel handling system for Unit 2 โ may take months, amid ongoing sanctions hurdles.
As Bangladesh grapples with energy shortages and economic recovery under Yunus, the Rooppur saga illustrates the perils of great-power entanglements: a vital project caught between Moscow’s technical prowess, Washington’s strategic leverage, and Dhaka’s quest for sovereignty. With the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) set to verify safety protocols soon, the coming months will test whether Bangladesh can salvage its nuclear aspirations โ or if they become another casualty of rivalry.
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