Kudankulam n-plant restarts power generation

Chennai, Jan 19: Power generation at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) has restarted after the first unit's reactor and turbine tripped Jan 14, said Power System Operation Corporation Ltd. (POSCO) Monday. According to POSCO, power generation at the first unit of 1,000 MW KNPP commenced Sunday. The atomic power unit touched a peak generation of 658 MW since it was restarted Sunday and the average generation for the day was 168 MW, POSCO said. India's atomic power plant operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) is setting up two 1,000 MW Russian reactors at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district, 650 km from Chennai. The first unit attained criticality, which is the beginning of the fission process, July 2013. Subsequently it was connected to the southern grid in Oct 2013. However, commercial power generation began only Dec 31, 2014. Since then the unit was generating an average of 940 MW till it tripped Jan 14.