NPCIL to conduct tests at K'kulam nuke plant

The first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), which has been generating power, will undergo the mandatory tests prescribed by the atomic regulator.

The test, which will be conducted by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), is scheduled this week subject to clearance by the southern regional load dispatch centre, KNPP site director R S Sundar said in a statement issued on Thursday.

Sundar said the KNPP first unit has been generating 400 MB of power and its performance has been satisfactory.

He said certain mandatory tests regarding steam discharge valves to atmosphere must be done to increase the reactor’s power.

He said the tests, to be conducted during the day time, will involve releasing the steam for a short period (3-5 minutes) when the ambient noise levels would go up marginally.

India’s atomic power plant operator NPCIL is setting up two 1,000 MW Russian reactors at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district, 650 km from here. The total outlay for the project is over Rs 17,000 crore.