Coal news and updates

Kudankulam Unit-1 to contribute 1,000 MWe

January 1: The first unit of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) which has recently been synchronised to the Grid will step up its power supply from current 160 MW to 1,000 MW in various stages.

With the addition of KKNPP Unit-1 of 1,000 MWe capacity, the nuclear power’s contribution to the country’s energy-mix will increase from 4,780 MWe to 5,780 MWe, V. Narayansamy, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, said in a statement.

He said that from the current capacity, power supply will be raised gradually to 500 MWe, 750 MWe and 1,000 MWe in stages. KKNPP Unit-1 is the 20th Nuclear Power Station of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), connected to power grid in the country.

“For this at every stage various tests have been conducted and the technical parameters have also been verified,” the year-end review of the Department of Atomic Energy said. Based on the results of the tests at each of the stages and with the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) clearances, subsequent stages will be added.”

Meanwhile, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has signed MoUs with a total of 10 States for setting up Directorate of Radiation Safety (DRS). These States are: Kerala, Mizoram, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharashtra and Odisha. The DRS in Kerala and Mizoram are already functioning. Government of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh are in the process of signing MoUs shortly.