After 3 months, Kudankulam N-reactor Unit 1 starts power generation

CHENNAI: Unit 1 of the Kudankulam nuclear reactor has re-started power generation, more than two and half months it was shut down due to technical problems. The unit is likely to generate power for a month and then again shut down for change of fuel and general maintenance.
“Unit 1 started power generation at 7.15am on Thursday. Within a few minutes it reached 270MW. We are conducting spot tests to check the parameters and then slowly increase the power generation,“ Kudankulam site director Harinarayan Sahu told TOI.
The unit which has a total capacity of 1,000MW attained criticality in 2013 and since then has been off and on. “The unit will reach the full capacity of 1,000MW in a few days. After that the unit will be generating power continuously without any break,“ said Sahu.
The Russian-made reactor will be shut down once again for fuel change. “The unit will work without any break till March end and we will have to shut down the reactor for change of fuel. This will take at least 60 days before the unit re-starts power generation,“ said Sahu.
The unit 1 which started power generation on December 31, 2014 generated 4,967 million units till April 2015.It was shut down due to various problems in its design and modification, but since February 2016 the unit has performed more or less to its full capacity of 1,000MW till November when it was shut for maintenance.
Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) is more than willing to evacuate power from Kudankulam as the de mand has been on the rise since February 1 this year.“The demand has been hovering around 13,500MW which is much higher compared to previous years. This is due to humid weather and demand from industries. We have been able to meet the demand due to the operation of all thermal units of Tangedco and purchase of power from private companies,“ said a senior Tangedco official.
Tangedco will prefer power from unit 1 due to the cost factor. “Nuclear power is cheaper compared to private thermal,“ said the official. In the coming days the power demand in the state is expected to cross 14,000MW and the company is expected to leverage all its avenues of thermal sources to meet the demand.