Construction of sea water intake channel for Kalpakkam fast breeder project begins

Venkatachari Jagannathan
03 December 2007

The construction work on sea water intake channel has started for the 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor project. The sea water taken in will be desalted and used to cool the reactor condenser.

The indigenously designed faster breeder reactor has been built Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini) in Kalpakkam, near Chennai.

The half-kilometre submarine tunnel is expected to be ready in 30 months by Gammon India Limited, says Prabhat Kumar, project director.

According to him the progress of the Rs34.92 billion project is has been peoceeding satisfactorily.

"Orders for all the civil construction work and instrumentation have been placed. Orders have been placed for 80 per cent of the electrical products and 60 per cent mechanical products have been placed," Kumar adds.

Meanwhile the lowering of the reactor safety vessel into the reactor vault supposed to happen in November has been delayed.