Dated: 09-September-2016

09
Daily Facts - TNPSC Exam

KUDANKULAM NUCLEAR POWER PLANT

Location - Koodankulam in the Tirunelveli district.
Construction began March 31, 2002
Commission date October 23, 2013
Total Reactors - 4
Unit 1 - Attained criticality July 13, 2013, Synchronised to grid October 22, 2013
o Attained Maximum capacity of power production, 1000 MW on June 7, 2014.
Unit 2 - Attained criticality July 10, 2016.
Unit 3 & 4 Construction not yet started
Background
An Inter-Governmental
Governmental Agreement (IGA) on the nuclear project was signed on 20 November 1988 by then
Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Soviet head of state Mikhail Gorbachev. Owner of nuclear power plant Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).
Design and Specification

Technology - pressurised water reactor, advanced version of Russian PWR reactor.

Type - VVER-1000
1000 type reactors, aka water-water
water
power reactors.

Salient Safety Features

Passive heat removal system to provide cooling for removal of decay heat

Higher redundancy for safety systems

Double containment

Larger numbers of control rods

Additional shutdown systems for the reactor like

l second quick-acting
acting shutdown system and quick boronboron
injection system

Advanced instrumentation systems of advanced technology for Reactor Systems and Balance of Plant as
well as for Plant Computer System.

Vetrii IAS Academy, Muthiah Hall, Old No.52, New No.1, 9th Street, F Block, 1st Avenue Main Road,
Near Istha siddhi Vinayakar Temple, Anna Nagar East, Chennai 600 102. Phone: +91 (44) 26265326,
Mobile: +91 9600124042, 9840097666 http://www.vetriias.com

Safety against natural hazards

Located in the lowest seismic hazard zone Zone II

Can with stand up to magnitude of 6.0

Located 1500 km from the Tsunamic Genic

G
fault .

Have shore protection wall and important buildings are located higher than the flood level.

Power Allocation from

f
two units
Beneficiary State
Tamil Nadu
Karnataka
Kerala
Puducherry
Not Allocated
TOTAL

Power (MW)
925
442
266
67
300
2000

Fig: Power Generation from a Nuclear Plan

Vetrii IAS Academy, Muthiah Hall, Old No.52, New No.1, 9th Street, F Block, 1st Avenue Main Road,
Near Istha siddhi Vinayakar Temple, Anna Nagar East, Chennai 600 102. Phone: +91 (44) 26265326,
Mobile: +91 9600124042, 9840097666 http://www.vetriias.com