MOSCOW, October 12. /TASS/. The reactor of Power Unit 1 at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in Bangladesh has been brought to the minimum controlled reactor power (MCRP), Rosatom's engineering division announced.

"The reactor of Unit 1 at the Rooppur NPP in Bangladesh has been brought to the minimum controlled reactor power. The next stage will involve testing the unit's reactor installation at various power levels," the corporate statement said.

Reaching the minimum controlled power level confirms that the reactor has, for the first time, entered a state where a self-sustaining, controlled nuclear chain reaction takes place in the core. All technical operations were carried out in accordance with design requirements and the commissioning program, under the supervision of specialists from the operating organization, the general designer, the regulatory authority, and the NRC Kurchatov Institute as scientific supervisor.

"Reaching the MCRP is a major milestone in the construction of Unit 1 at the Rooppur NPP and a significant achievement for the entire project team. Following the successful completion of this stage, the power unit will be prepared for physical start-up and subsequent connection to Bangladesh's power grid. We expect this to happen before the end of November," Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev said, as quoted in the statement.