Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant

In news- Recently, the Kudankulam village panchayat has unanimously passed a resolution opposing the establishment of the ‘away from reactor’ (AFR) spent fuel storage facility of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project.

About the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP)-

It is the largest nuclear power station in India, situated in Kudankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu.
Construction on the plant began on 31 March 2002, but faced several delays due to opposition from local fishermen.
KKNPP is scheduled to have six VVER-1000 reactors built in collaboration with Atomstroyexport, the Russian state company and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), with an installed capacity of 6,000 MW of electricity.
Russia is building the KKNPP under an Inter-Governmental Agreement of 1988 and follow-on agreements in 1998 and 2008.
Unit-1 joined the grid in October 2013 and Unit-2 was connected to the grid in August 2016.
The first power unit of the Kudankulam plant has been steadily operating since February 2016 and the second was included in India’s national electricity grid in August 2016.
The master framework agreement with Rosatom for the construction of the third and fourth units was signed in 2014.
An agreement was also signed between India and Russia (Rosatom State Corporation) in 2017 for construction of the fifth and sixth power units at Kudankulam.
Russia’s state atomic energy corporation has started manufacturing the nuclear reactor and steam generators for the sixth unit of Tamil Nadu’s Kudankulam nuclear power plant.
Rosatom is currently building the 6,000-MW project at Kudankulam, which will have six VVER-1000 nuclear reactors, and is in talks with India to construct six more reactors at a new site that is yet to be identified.

Major Nuclear reactors in India (other than Kudankulam)-

Tarapur Nuclear Reactor-

Located in Maharashtra, it is the oldest nuclear facility in India, having commenced commercial operations in 1969.
It is currently the second most powerful in India, with two BHWR of 160MW and two PHWR reactors of 540MW forming a total of 1,400MW.
The nuclear plant is the result of New Delhi’s collaboration with the US.

Rawatbhata Atomic Power Plant-

Located in Rajasthan, it has a total installed capacity of 1180MW. Formed of six PHWR reactors with two more reactors planned, the first reactor was commissioned back in December 1973.
Earlier India collaborated with Canada for this plant.
In 1974 after India conducted Smiling Buddha, its first nuclear weapons test Canada stopped their support of the project.

Kaiga Atomic Power Plant-

Located in Karnataka, it is formed of four 220MW PHWR reactors making a total of 880MW.
The plant has been in operation since March 2000 and is operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

Kalpakkam Nuclear Power Plant-

LOcated in Tamilnadu, it first began operating in 1984 and currently has two 235MW reactors, with two more reactors of 500MW and 600MW to be added at a later date.
It has a prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) which does not produce highly radioactive nuclear waste and can produce 70% more energy.

Narora Nuclear Reactor-

Located in Uttar Pradesh, it has two PHWR which offer a total capacity of 440MW.
It is considered one of the safest nuclear plants in the country and won a Golden Peacock award for environment management in the year 2000.

Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant-