Construction of unit 5 of the Kudankulam plant formally began in June this year with the pouring of first concrete for the foundation plate of the reactor building. Units 5 and 6 are scheduled for completion in 66 months and 75 months, respectively. This timeline would see both units completed by Our Privacy and Cookies Policy.
The project was revived under new inter-governmental agreement between India and Russia in March Preparatory works were started in , while the main construction works for the first two reactor units were started in March and July , respectively. Although both the units were originally scheduled for commissioning by , the project suffered delays due to protests by local inhabitants and activist groups over safety concerns.
The Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan further intensified opposition to the project resulting in the suspension of construction works for several months during and The construction was resumed after the Supreme Court of India rejected petitions to block the project and permitted the commissioning of both the units in May Contained in a cylindrical high-pressure vessel made of heat-resistant alloyed steel, each reactor uses enriched uranium as fuel and light water as coolant and moderator.
The coolant loop is separated from the steam system. Each reactor vessel is housed within a double containment structure with the inner containment wall made of steel and the outer wall made of heavy reinforced concrete.
Contractors involved Atomstroyexport, a subsidiary of the Russian State Nuclear Energy Corporation Rosatom , is responsible for the technical design, equipment supply, construction supervision, reactor commissioning, as well as training for operation and maintenance of the reactor units at Kundankulam.
Then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Kudankulam agreement, which was initially aimed to set up two nuclear reactors in Tirunelveli.
Under the agreement , Russia is required to manufacture and deliver important components for the power plant and provide technical support. Russia has also extended credit support for the project over the years. The first pour of concrete for units 1 and 2 took place at Kudankulam on 31 March, The project was six months ahead of schedule and was supposed to begin functioning by March but fell behind because of delays in the supply of designs and equipment by Russia.
Work on the project was delayed further by the protests against the plant. The first unit eventually reached criticality on 13 July , and full-capacity generation 1, MW in In , soon after the project was announced, the first protest against it was held by fishermen and local residents who were concerned about the diversion of water for the reactors from the Pechiparai dam in Kanyakumari district. In March , right when India began testing equipment at the first nuclear power unit, protests erupted in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan, with protesters raising concerns about the safety of the plant.
Hundreds of protesters, led by S. The Supreme Court, where the order was challenged, dismissed the petitions as well in Nuclear energy, the court said, is the need of future and present generations. In May , 60 eminent scientists petitioned the chief ministers of Tamil Nadu and Kerala, requesting them to demand an independent safety audit of Kudankulam.
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