Unit 2 of Kudankulam nuclear plant to be operational soon

The Unit 2 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Plant, which is undergoing maintenance since August, should be operational in the next two weeks, NPCIL chief S K Sharma has said. The 1000 MW unit, which started its commercial operation in March this year, was shut down for repairs in August after problems occurred in its electrical generator. Tried for the first time in India using Russia's VVER technology, the Unit 1 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Project (KKNPP) also faced teething problems in the beginning. The official said there are "certain uncertainties" which could crop up in the initial days of a new reactor. "We should start the second unit in the next two weeks," Sharma, who is the chairman and managing director of the state-run Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) said. Unit 1 and 2 of the KKNPP, both 1000 MW each, are currently the largest nuclear power generating reactors in the country.  The NPCIL is currently working on building units 3 and 4. General Framework Agreement for units 5 and 6 was signed in June this year. Sharma said the first pour of concrete (FPC), one of the first steps while building any reactor, will take place in 2019 for the two reactors in Chutka in Madhya Pradesh. To enhance the nuclear power generation in the country, and also give a boost to the industry, the government approved 10 new nuclear reactors this year. The two units of Chutka are a part of these 10 reactors.