Kudankulam nuclear plant goes critical

Mangaloretoday/DHNS

Tirunelveli (TN),July 13, 2013: Ending months of agitation and uncertainty, India’s biggest nuclear reactor at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu achieved criticality after engineers initiated the “nuclear chain reaction process” on Saturday to release nuclear energy that will eventually lead to production of commercial electricity by August-end.

The 1,000-MW Russian-origin nuclear reactor “going critical” on Saturday signals the first step in operationalising the reactor that was sitting idle for close to two years in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which triggered an anti-nuclear sentiment all over the world.

Now that the plant has become critical, it will be synchronised to the southern grid after 30-45 days, when it will supply 400 MW of electricity to the grid.

In the next three-four weeks, more tests will be conducted to check many engineering parameters before the level of power production will be enhanced gradually, first to 50 per cent and subsequently to 75 per cent, 90 per cent and 100 per cent.

“After synchronisation with the grid, it may take another one month for the first unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) to produce 1,000 MW of electricity,” Atomic Energy Commission chairman Ratan Kumar Sinha told Deccan Herald.

This is India’s 21st nuclear power reactor and first pressurised-water reactor belonging to light-water reactor category. The second unit of KNPP is expected to start commercial operations by March 2014.

Out of the 2,000 MW, Tamil Nadu was to receive 925 MW, whereas Karnataka’s share was 442 MW. Kerala and Puducherry were to get 266 and 67 MW of electricity, respectively, while the rest was to go to the central pool.

Tamil Nadu, however, asked the Centre to increase its share and the government is in favour of sanctioning 100 MW extra to Tamil Nadu from the central pool.

Eight tonnes of nuclear fuel had been loaded in the Unit 1 of KNPP in October 2012.
Subsequently, a number of safety tests were carried out to ensure the performance of various equipment as per the plant’s design.

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board gave its approval for “criticality” on July 11.
But going by the original schedule, the first unit was expected to be commissioned in December 2011. It was stuck due to intense anti-nuclear protests that broke out in September that year.

Anti-nuclear activists along with locals laid an eight-month siege to the plant, during which time little other than maintenance work was carried out. They claimed they were concerned over the safety of the plant in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, and even approached the court to halt operationalisation of the plant.

The delay increased the project cost by more than Rs 4,000 crore. The project cost of KNPP, Units 1 and 2 went up from Rs 13,171 crore to Rs 17,270 crore due to delay in commissioning the plant.

The operationalisation of the first unit at Kudankulam increased India’s total installed capacity of nuclear power to 5,780 MW. New Delhi is now negotiating purchase of two more 1,000-MW nuclear reactors from Russia.

In the long run, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) — operator of the Kudankulam plant — plans to have six 1,000-MW Russian nuclear reactors at Kudankulam