Kudankulam N-power plant to be commissioned soon
10 Aug 2012
The commissioning of Unit-1 of Kudankulam project is schedule to be completed very soon, minister of state in the Prime Minister's Office V Narayanasamy said in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
He said the removal of dummy fuel and inspection of the reactor pressure vessel has been completed in Unit-1. The report of inspection has been submitted to the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). No defects have been noticed during final inspections.
After completing inspection, application for fuel loading has been submitted to regulatory authorities. This will be followed by fuel loading, approach to criticality and power generation after obtaining stage-wise clearance from the AERB.
An expert group of eminent scientists, academicians, doctors and engineers specialising in diverse fields constituted by the government carried out a study of the safety and related aspects of the Kudankulam project and explained the findings to representatives of the people protesting against the commissioning of the project, he said.
The expert group has comprehensively addressed the concerns expressed by the local people and others and found the Kudankulam plant to be safe, he said. An expert committee constituted by the government of Tamil Nadu has also found this plant to be safe, he added.
The initial estimated cost of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, Units 1&2 (KKNPP 1&2) was Rs13,171 crore and completion dates for Unit 1&2 were December 2007 and December 2008, respectively, he pointed out.
Of the four nuclear projects, Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant, Unit 3&4 (KAPP Units 3&4 – 2x700 MW), Rajasthan Atomic Power Plant, Units 7&8 (RAPP Units 7&8 – 2x700 MW) are progressing on schedule.
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant KKNPP Units 1&2 and Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), Kalpakkam have time and cost overrun.
