All activities at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant are now focused on Initial Fuel Loading for the first reactor, a top KNPP official said here today.
“With the Atomic Regulatory Board giving clearance to the initial fuel loading and first approach to criticality, we are focussed on loading the fuel,” Koodankulam Site Director R. S. Sundar said, speaking at the Independence Day celebrations here.
He expressed confidence that the first unit would generate 1000 MW before January 26, 2013.
“Efforts to commission Unit 2 are also being taken up and hopefully by August 15 next, we will achieve significant milestones on this unit also,” he said.
Stating that all safety standards would be fully satisfied, he said plant operation engineers were licensed to operate VVER reactors. “We have also signed the inter-governmental agreement for finalising credit terms between India and Russia for the third and fourth units,” he said.
He also said the Central expert group had made “sincere” efforts to help allay the fears of the local people over safety aspects of KNPP and explained various facts scientifically.
Under the neighbourhood development programme, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd would contribute Rs 200 crore for the uplift of the local community, he said.
The first unit of KNPP, an Indo-Russian joint venture, was scheduled for commissioning in December last, but was bogged down by delays due to protests against the project.