The major components have been delivered for the second nuclear reactor under construction at Rooppur in Bangladesh. The reactor pressure vessel and four steam generators weigh 1700 tonnes in total.

After a manufacturing process lasting more than two years at the Atommash plant in southern Russia, the delivery of the parts to the Rooppur site took more than two months, the company announced yesterday.

The reactor pressure vessel weighs 334 tonnes and the four steam generators weigh 340 tonnes each.

After being taken a short distance from the Atommash plant to a specialised jetty on the Tsinlyansk Reservoir, the parts were taken by barge to the Black Sea port of Novorossiysk. They then began a 14,000 km sea passage to the Bangladesh port of Mongla via the Suez Canal before going over land a further 360 km to Rooppur.

Components for Rooppur unit 1 were delivered in October last year and the reactor vessel is scheduled for installation next month.