Russia offers advanced N-fuel for TN’s Kudankulam reactors

OTribune News Service

New Delhi, December 21

Russia’s state-run Rosatom Corporation’s more advanced fuel option for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (KKNPP) is working well, said Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh.

Rosatom has offered several advanced options to enhance the efficiency of the existing nuclear-powered reactors at Kudankulam and the ones under construction.

5% enrichment

• Rosatom says the introduction of nuclear fuel with more than 5 per cent enrichment will enable the VVER-1000 reactors to operate for longer 24-month fuel cycles and have a significant economic impact on the unit’s lifecycle
• Russian company Atommash has also started manufacturing a nuclear reactor and steam generators for the sixth unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu

Two Russian-designed 1,000-MW pressurised water reactors are currently operational at the KKNPP and four more reactors are being built at the site in Tamil Nadu. Russia has continued supplying crucial components for the project despite uncertainties created by the conflict in Ukraine.

Among the new solutions and technologies are new models of nuclear fuel, solutions for higher uranium enrichment and technologies for a closed nuclear fuel cycle, Rosatom said. These technologies offer the potential to make Kudankulam power plant’s operations more efficient over several decades.

Rosatom says the introduction of nuclear fuel with more than 5 per cent enrichment will enable the VVER-1000 reactors to operate for longer 24-month fuel cycles and have a significant economic impact on the unit’s lifecycle.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Singh said the first lot of TVS-2M fuel assemblies was received in May-June and loaded in Unit-1 and they were performing satisfactorily. The use of TVS-2M fuel assemblies in KKNPP reactors will allow 18-month operating cycles as against 12-month operating cycles with UTVS Fuel Assemblies presently in use in Unit-2.

The minister said Russia had offered the more advanced fuel — TVS-2M type — in place of UTVS type fuel for use in reactors at units 1 & 2. After detailed deliberations by experts, considering the better operational performance with TVS-2M type fuel assemblies, it was decided to use TVS-2M fuel in place of UTVS fuel assemblies in Kudankulam Units-1 and 2.

In September, the project completed a milestone in manufacturing the steam generator for the fifth unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. Since February 2016, the first power unit of the Kudankulam NPP has been steadily operating at the design power level of 1,000 MW. The second power unit was connected to India’s national power grid on August 29, 2016.