Experts urge safety culture alongside advanced technology at Rooppur

Advanced technology alone will not ensure safe operation of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, experts say, stressing the need for skilled personnel, effective management and a strong safety culture. Alongside technical safeguards, they say, compliance with procedures must become routine at every operational stage. Environmental monitoring and awareness among local residents also need attention.

Russia’s Kalinin nuclear power plant offers an example of nuclear safety management. Located in Udomlya, about 350 kilometres from Moscow, the 4,000-megawatt plant has generated electricity for four decades. Residents of nearby communities go about their daily lives, including swimming and fishing in the lake.

Kalinin authorities say safety takes top priority in operating the plant. Alongside an automated system for monitoring environmental radiation levels, they collect data from 17 monitoring stations. The data are reviewed around the clock and published on a website.

The authorities also say they regularly check local residents’ health and the quality of air and water in the area. Viktor O. Dolechikh, head of the plant’s radiation safety department, says the automated system monitors radiation up to 100 kilometres from the plant. Their monitoring has found no adverse environmental impact from the facility.

Rooppur has been equipped with VVER-1200 reactors, a more advanced model than the VVER-1000 reactors used at Kalinin. The VVER-1200 uses Generation III+ technology. Science and Technology Minister Fakir Mahbub Anam has offered assurances about the project’s safety, highlighting its technological capabilities.

However, Prof Dr Shafiqul Islam, former chairman of Dhaka University’s Department of Nuclear Engineering, has urged equal emphasis on operational capacity alongside advanced technology.

He says there is no substitute for skilled management, however advanced a reactor’s safety systems may be. An accident caused by operational errors could disrupt the plant’s operations. If the reactors cannot be kept running or restarted in such circumstances, the country could face major economic losses.

Those involved say building a safety culture at Rooppur requires accountability at every level, regular training and proper enforcement of safety rules. Providing safety information to nearby residents and raising their awareness are also essential.