By Senior Correspondent G Saravana Muthu
Tirunelveli: Marking a new era in civil nuclear cooperation with Russia, the synchronisation of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project’s second unit – capable of producing 1,000 MW – enhanced India’s installed nuclear power generating capacity to 6,780 MW.
“The synchronisation – with the Southern Grid – took place at 1117 hrs on August 29,” Site Director R.S. Sundar told ‘Developing India Mirror’.
The K.K.N.P.P. complex has the distinction of possessing the country's two largest reactors incorporating advanced safety features.
The first unit – after attaining criticality on July 13, 2013 – was synchronised with the Grid on October 22 that year.
Excavation work for constructing units 3 and 4 – of 1,000 MW capacity each at an outlay of Rs. 39,500 crore – is progressing. The “first pouring of concrete” would likely take place by the commencement of the 2017-18 fiscal. Discussions are underway with Russia to finalise the General Framework Agreement for building units 5 and 6.
The first two reactors were supplied by the Russian nuclear corporation Rosatom through Atomstroyexport.
Sources in the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd said that civil nuclear cooperation would even extend to areas such as extraction of uranium, production of fuel and elimination of waste.