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First Koodankulam reactor may be commissioned by June-P Sudhakar

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's clearance being awaited

Expressing satisfaction over the progress in preparing the first reactor of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project for commissioning, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) Chairman and Managing Director S.K. Jain has said the KKNPP was waiting for the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board's clearance for the opening of the reactor pressure vessel for inspecting the internal components' performance and subsequent loading of enriched uranium fuel rods.

Mr. Jain was here along with a team of Russian specialists headed by Valery Limarenko, president of Atomstroyexports, the Russian firm constructing the reactors at KKNPP, to ascertain the progress after the stalled works resumed on March 19 to ensure the early commissioning of the first of the 2 X 1,000-MWe reactor. After the successful completion of the ‘hot run,' test reports were submitted to the AERB for review by a team of experts. Once they accept the test results, clearance will be given for opening the reactor pressure vessel , which will also be submitted to the AERB for another round of review. Specialists group in the AERB will carry out a detailed study of these inspection reports after which clearance for fuel loading will be given by the AERB.

Following this final clearance, enriched uranium fuel loading will be taken up, the first step towards criticality of the plant. Since the preparation for commissioning the plant is progressing as planned, it is expected that fuel loading may be taken up by mid-June and criticality in the next of weeks after the fuel loading.

“Since all test results are very much encouraging and inspections conducted so far have shown that every component has performed really well, we expect clearances in time and fuel loading can be expected by mid-June. Over 35 per cent of the components have been re-checked and the remaining will be re-checked in due course. We have to wait for the clearances as there is no place for any shortcut to achieve our goals,” Mr. Jain said.

On his meeting with heads of 29 village panchayats and three town panchayats around KKNPP on Thursday, he said he was moved by the encouraging words of rural local body heads and had assured them that the NPCIL would be a part of development activities to be carried out in this region by the State and the Union governments.

As regards conducting a drill before the commissioning of the plant, Mr. Jain said it would be held at the appropriate time after holding talks with State government officials. Mr. Limarenko, while categorically rejecting reports that the post-Fukushima scenario had forced several countries to keep themselves away from nuclear energy programmes, said his company, which was involved in the construction of 20 nuclear reactors in Russia and China, was holding talks with Vietnam, Turkey and Bangladesh on the construction of nuclear reactors in those countries. He reassured that the reactors under construction and also the reactors to come-up on the KKNPP premises would have several layers of the most modern safety features.