Tirunelveli: The country’s first 1,000 MW Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) in the Light Water Category at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) achieved its maximum generation capacity on Saturday.
According to KKNPP site director R.S. Sundar, India’s 21st nuclear power reactor and the first unit of its largest nuclear power plant produced 1,011 MW of power at 1.20 pm on Saturday.
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) site director R.S. Sundar, said all the technical parameters were satisfactory and within the stipulated norms during the power raising process in the 1,000 MW Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR).
“At every stage of power increase, various tests were conducted. And based on the reports of the observers’ team, safety review committee and Russian specialists the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) gave the required clearances,” Mr Sundar explained, assuring that the state-of-the art reactors at KKNPP incorporated enhanced safety features in line with current international standards.
The power generation units of KKNPP incorporate a combination of active and passive safety mechanisms like the passive heat removal system (PHRS), hydrogen re-combiners, core catcher, hydro accumulators and quick boron injection system (QBIS), according to him.
The cumulative generation from unit 1 of KKNPP since it attained criticality is around 1900 million units.
Anti-KKNPP activists - most of whom have vacated their protest spot before St Lourdhu Matha Church in Idinthakarai — however refused to believe that the unit had successfully achieved its targeted generation.
Mr M. Pushparayan, who has been in the forefront of the protest and is now in Perumalpuram, Tirunelveli city, wondered why the government and the NPCIL were hesitating to celebrate their “ so-called success” instead of just issuing press statements to the media.
