29.9.13

Kudankulam-I valve malfunctions

Unit 1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant has once again run into technical problems.
Two months after the unit attained criticality, the authorities are finding it difficult to fulfill the necessary parameters to run the turbine and start generating power. Once again, authorities say, the fault is with the valve system.
This is the second time that malfunctioning of valves has occurred.
“After the unit attained criticality, we have been trying to start power generation. A few days ago we came very close to running the turbine, but the unit tripped and we got down to trouble shooting,” said an official in the Nuclear Power Corporation of India. “A team of Russian engineers is working with our engineers to rectify the problem,” said the official. It may take 15 days or more, the official said.
It was because of an earlier malfunctioning of valves that clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) was delayed for the project. It had also resulted in a delay in the project attaining criticality.
The deadline for commissioning of the plant has once again been rescheduled owing to the present problem. It is likely to be commissioned only next month, said a source.
Many critics, including former AERB chief A Gopalakrishnan, have been accusing NPCIL of suppressing facts about the plant.
But NPCIL officials have denied all these charges. They said some problems were anticipated in commissioning the plant as Kudankulam was the first pressurized water reactor being set up in the country.
Tamil Nadu, which is facing a power crisis, is desperately in need of Kudankulam power. The state is expected to get 562 MW from the first reactor, once it is commissioned.

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