India’s protest-hit nuclear reactor at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu is functioning well after it began nuclear fission process for the first time on Saturday, a senior official said.“Everything is progressing in a normal manner. The reactor is functioning well as per expectations,” R.S. Sundar, site director of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP), said. “If everything goes well, we will be able to connect the plant to the southern grid in 30-45 days."
The first unit at KNPP attained criticality at 11.05 p.m. Saturday. All its parameters remained normal. This is a much-awaited development for the Indian nuclear establishment.
Sundar said sustained nuclear reaction had been achieved and all parameters were as per expectations. “After a long time, the mood here is good,” he said.
IndiaÂ’s atomic power plant operator, NPCIL, is setting up two 1,000 MW reactors with Russian technology and equipment at Kudankulam, around 650 km from Chennai.
The over Rs.17,000 crore project, which came up in the face of intense protests in nearby villages who feared for their safety, began generating heat and steam from the 163 uranium fuel bundles loaded in the reactor.