India's NPCIL Synchronizes Third Unit of Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--India's premier nuclear power development company, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) (Mumbai) synchronized the third unit of its Kaiga atomic power project (KAPP-3) to the southern power grid in April of this year. The KAPP-3, with a power-generation capacity of 220 megawatts (MW), will be the seventeenth operating nuclear power station in the country. The nuclear power unit is built on pressurized heavy water reactor technology and attained critical status in February of this year. The plant was then synchronized to the power grid after receiving approval for power generation from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (Mumbai). The unit was closed down after this process in order to undergo certain mandatory tests. The KAPP-3 has been producing 95 MW of power since its synchronization and is expected to generate electricity at full capacity after the tests are completed. The power station is expected to be ready for commercial operations in the coming month.

The Kaiga atomic power plant, located in the Uttara Kannada region in the Indian state of Karnataka, will consist of four nuclear power stations with power-generation capacities of 220 MW each. The first two stations, KAPP-1 and KAPP-2 have been commercially operational since 2000, while the fourth unit, KAPP-4, is in the final stages of construction.

NPCIL is also working towards the commissioning of the much-delayed first two units of the Kudankulam power project near Tirunelveli in Tamil Nadu. When fully completed and operational, the power project will consist of eight reactors (revised from the earlier planned six units), built with technology, equipment and fuel supplies from Russia. The commissioning of the first two units, each with a capacity of 1,000 MW, has been rescheduled several times, mainly because of delays in receiving plant equipment and machinery from Russia. The first of the two units was initially scheduled to go live in December 2007, while the second was slated for commissioning in December 2008.

According to the website of NPCIL, the expected date of commissioning for the two units has been set as November 2009 and August 2010. However, industry sources and project officials indicate that the deadline for the first unit will, in all likelihood, not be met. The "bearing gear operations," one of the most important and critical aspects of the construction activity, is expected to be completed in the next two weeks. Many components required for the steam piping are reportedly awaiting shipment from Russia and are expected to be delivered in the next two months. The welding process will then commence and is expected take another two months. This will be followed by the inspection and approvals procedure, which is likely to take one month for completion. Industry experts have pegged January 2010 or thereabouts as an optimistic and likely date for the commissioning of the first unit, assuming that Russian engineers would have completed construction of the reactor by then.

The "Load Generation Balance Report" published by the Central Electricity Authority (New Delhi) in April this year, has no mention of Kudankulam in the list of nuclear power plants to be commissioned in 2009-10. The report indicates an addition of 660 MW of nuclear power generation with the operations of KAPP-3 and two units of the Rajasthan atomic power plant.

The delay in the commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear power project has adversely affected the power scenario in Tamil Nadu. The state in southern India is presently facing a power deficit of almost 1,000 MW, which was expected to be fulfilled by this project. NPCIL has already earmarked 900 MW of power generation from these two units at Kudankulam for supply to Tamil Nadu, while the rest will be delivered to the remaining southern states. Recently, construction of a third reactor at Kudankulam has also been proposed with Russian assistance. While new designs and technology of pressurized water reactors are being evaluated for the third unit, the request for techno-commercial proposals is expected to be floated by the middle of this year.

Presently, NPCIL operates 17 nuclear reactors with a total power generation capacity of 4,120 MW. The company is also building five units, which will add 2,660 MW to the existing capacity. At Jaitapur in Maharashtra, NPCIL has planned a reactor complex consisting of six units of 1,650 MW each, which will be built in collaboration with Areva SA (EPA:CEI) (Paris, France). Areva will provide technology assistance to build the reactors based on its European Pressurized Reactor technology and a lifetime supply of fuel for power generation.

According to the World Nuclear Association (London, United Kingdom), India is actively implementing new plans to develop nuclear power generation. The country's nuclear power plans were hindered from the 34-year nuclear trade embargo imposed for its non-allegiance to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Now, with the trade ban being lifted, India aims to develop 20,000 MW of nuclear power capacity by 2020 and 63,000 MW by 2050. By 2050, nuclear power is expected to account for 25% of the country's energy profile.

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