Chennai: Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project attained a milestone with generation attaining the maximum capacity of 1000 MW in the first reactor at 1320 hrs.
KKNP Site Director R Sundar told UNI, “It’s a very, very happy moment for all of us and a big achievement for the Indian scientific community.”
This was, Dr Sundar said, the first 1000 MW reactor in the country.
The achievement came nearly 12 years after the first pouring of the concrete was conducted, for the KKNP, which had faced opposition from the People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), whose relay fast at Idinthakarai village had crossed more than 1,000 days.
“It’s really an emotional experience for us as the reactor’s power generation gradually ascended from three digits to four digits at 1320 hrs today afternoon,” he said, and expressed his gratitude to “all those who supported us all these years.”
On May 5, the reactor had reached 90 per cent of its capacity.
The first of the twin VVER Nuclear Power Reactor units of KKNP, being implemented in technical collaboration with the Russian Federation, attained its first criticality (start of controlled self sustaining fission chain reaction) at 2305 hrs on July 13, 2013.
Generation was increased in stages, subsequently, as per the laid down procedures and regulatory clearances.
The plant was later synchronised to the southern grid and the power generation was increased in a step-wise manner to 50 per cent, 75 per cent, 90 per cent, before achieving the maximum of 100 per cent today.
KKNP was the first Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) belonging to Light Water Reactor Category and harbinger of the large-size LWR technology in India.
At 1000 MW, it is also the largest single power generation unit in the country. (UNI)
