NPCIL's Kudankulam Nuclear Plant to be Operational by December 2011

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)--After a stalemate of more than three years, the government-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited's (NPCIL) Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) is ready to go online. The 1,000-megawatt (MW) reactor is set to commence generation by the end of 2011.

"The reactor is expected to complete its safety run very soon," said a source privy to the development. "The hot run, which checks the safety aspects of the nuclear station, will be done with dummy fuel bundles instead of uranium." This will be followed by the commissioning of the second 1,000-MW unit, now expected by June 2012.

When operational, the plant will be the largest nuclear station in the country. The plant will have two VVER-1000 reactors with capacities of 1,000 MW each, developed by nuclear equipment manufacturer AtomStroyExport (Moscow, Russia).

The construction of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant began in 2001. As per the original schedule, the first reactor of the plant was scheduled to be operational in December 2009. The completion of the project has been delayed due to certain changes in the design of the plant, as well as a delay in the supply of equipment from Russia.

According to the power purchase agreement signed by NPCIL, 50% of the power from this plant will be supplied to Tamil Nadu, and the rest of will feed into the grid for Kerala, Karnataka and Pondicherry.

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