Alexey Likhachev

Built World

Attended Rooppur fuel-loading ceremony in person

Bangladesh first considered building a nuclear plant in 1961, when the site at Rooppur was still part of East Pakistan. Sixty-five years later, on April 28, 2026, technicians began lowering 163 uranium fuel assemblies into the core of Unit 1—the step that turns a construction project into a nuclear power station. The Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA) issued the operating license for Unit 1 on April 16, 2026, the final regulatory clearance before uranium could enter the core. The loading process is expected to take 21 to 30 days, after which the reactor will be brought to first criticality.

Updated Apr 29

Force in Play

Overseeing final evacuation of Russian staff from Bushehr

A projectile struck 350 meters from Iran's only operating nuclear reactor on April 4, killing a security guard and damaging an auxiliary building — the fourth time ordnance has landed on or near the Bushehr nuclear power plant since the United States and Israel began striking Iran on February 28. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed no radiation increase was detected, but Director General Rafael Grossi warned that auxiliary buildings may house vital safety equipment and that nuclear plant sites "must never be attacked."

Updated Apr 5