Madurai: After the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) gave the green signal on Tuesday for fuel-loading in the first 1,000 MW unit of the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), scientists started the process in the early hours of Wednesday and have completed 10 per cent of the work by Thursday evening. Highly placed sources from Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) confirmed that the AERB has given the final clearance for the fuel loading in the first unit. “After getting the clearance, we have started the loading process with assistance from Russian scientists and NPCIL engineers,” the sources said.
To prevent any untoward incident and ensure security for the plant, the reactor core lab and its dome area have been declared as highly protected areas. The scientists declared the area to be an ‘Operational Island’, with the Army, Navy and Air Force providing round-the-clock security to it. The scientists had last week shifted the enriched Uranium-235 fuel from the storage room to the reactor core area, before uploading the Uranium-235 in the reactor, the sources said.
“We will complete the fuel loading within the next 15 days. We’re expecting the process to end before October 5. After this, AERB and International Atomic Energy Agency will examine the reactor. The plant-readiness for power generation will be attained before October 31,” said NPCIL officials. An AERB team is at the plant and is supervising the fuel loading.
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