Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project second unit in 2 months

Chennai: Work is on to commission the second unit of 1,000 MW in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in Tirunelveli district in two months, the Atomic Energy Commission Chairman
R.K. Sinha said.Tamil Nadu can expect to draw power from the second unit soon. The first unit of 1,000 MW capacity produced about 500 to 600 MW power now owing to a technical snag. The glitch would be set right.

“Following a request from the State Government we will take up the maintenance work in unit I after this summer, as  power demand peaks now. Work at the Kudankulam Unit II is progressing briskly. After the exercise of loading the dummy fuel is over, it will be readied for generation,” Mr Sinha told reporters here on Tuesday.

He said the process of loading the actual uranium fuel in the second unit can take about two months. “Thereafter, we will take further operations like criticality”.The first 1,000 MW unit of the Indo-Russian joint venture in the state, which faced prolonged protests from anti-nuclear activists, commenced its commercial operations last year. The second unit got the nod for hot run (releasing of steam into atmosphere) from Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and this process is in progress since February 28.