Nuclear Power in India

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A Nuclear Dream Is Set To Come True: IDN

Background
One of the most important technological enterprises India has undertaken since Independence is now treading its last mile towards completion and commissioning and becoming a world-leader in advanced nuclear technology. Called the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), it is expected to go critical very soon. This information was provided by the Union Minister of State Dr Jitendra Singh in written reply to a question in Lok Sabha on 20-7-2016.

A rare picture of the Fast Breeder Reactor Core
When the PFBR goes critical, India will have entered the second phase of a three-stage nuclear program, the visionary plan astonishingly was laid as far back as 1958 by Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the ‘Father of the Indian Nuclear Program’. It will also have become a world leader in an area of advanced nuclear technology, by sheer determination and persistence, through 60 years of hard work having had to build the nuclear industry from scratch and in the face of sanctions and other difficulties. Many advanced countries — including the US, the UK, France, and, Japan — have tried fast breeder reactor technology, and have given up, at least for the time being some citing economic reasons, others because they were not able to surmount technological complexities, or faced public misgivings.
What is Dr. Bhabha's Three Stage Nuclear Program?
Why is the PFBR so important? To understand that, we must review the Bhabha plan and its importance. Very early in the Indian nuclear program, Bhabha and his associates laid down a fundamental tenet: As far as possible, India should avoid importing nuclear fuel. Such imports would be subject to international politics and inspection regimes. Our nuclear industry would be important for both power and strategic purposes, and we should establish over the years a completely autonomous operation. The biggest hurdle was, though, that India does not have large reserves of uranium.
It was known, that we have thorium, in fact, in abundance. Dr. Bhabha decided that in the long run, India’s N-program should run on thorium. This thorium focused strategy was in marked contrast to all other countries in the world. The total reserves of thorium in India amount to over 500,000 tons in the readily extractable form, while the known reserves of uranium are less than a tenth of this.
Dr. Bhabha's Three-Stage Nuclear Strategy:
1. Heavy water reactors for unenriched, limited uranium feedstock
2. Fast breeder reactor for plutonium from spent fuel uranium
3. Thorium fast breeder reactor

Challenges

The Technological concept of India's complex Fast Breeder Reactor
Thorium cannot be converted into nuclear fuel in a straightforward manner. So, scientists had to devise a three-stage nuclear plan: In the first stage, India would build a series of heavy water reactors and fuel them with natural uranium. From the spent fuel, we would derive plutonium, a highly concentrated fuel which could be used for both weapons and future fast breeder reactors (FBR). In some years, we would move to stage 2 of the program when enough plutonium would be available to fuel FBRs, so called because they produce (‘breed’) more plutonium than they consume as fuel. Thorium, after irradiation in FBRs would be converted to U-233, which can be used in the third stage reactors along with more thorium. Theoretically, once we begin to run many breeders, we will be assured of a ‘perpetual’ supply of fuel. A third stage reactor called the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) has been designed and is under construction. The Prototype FBR at Kalpakkam thus represents the beginning of the stage 2 of the nuclear program. The plan may look simple, but it has been a big challenge these past decades to get to where we are.
India’s first experimental FBR, called Fast Breeder Test Reactor, was built in 1985. France was to supply fuel for it, but backed off under American pressure. It was then that our scientists took up the task of fabricating fuel for it, uranium-plutonium carbide. This small reactor has been the training ground for the PFBR. By the time India began work on the design of the PFBR sometime in the 1990s, interest in fast reactors had waned globally. One by one, the advanced countries gave up – Britain in the early 1970s, the US later that decade, France and Japan more recently. Russia has been moving ahead, although slowly. India has stayed the course so far — building expertise and capability in the design of sodium systems, special instruments and sensors, reactor-grade materials, robotics and so on and now we are close to the finishing line.
As the era of uranium reserves depletes, even as the world is set for a nuclear revival, especially in Asia, there is once again growing interest in all kinds of fast reactors. China is working on them, as is Korea. India has championed the concept of building a closed fuel cycle nuclear industry, as opposed to the open fuel cycle industry that the US and other countries have advocated.
The 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) constructed by BHAVINI at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu is at an advanced stage of commissioning. PFBR being an exclusive technology, the development, manufacture of large sized equipment & components took time. In view of its technological complexity, abundant caution was taken during erection/installation and commissioning of various systems. Further, due to its first of a kind design, there have been certain additional stipulations by the regulatory body which are being complied with.
Even as India sets about realising this technology, there are still plenty of challenges to take on since the technology is so incredibly complex in terms of new types of fuels, engineering, and optimizations. Rather, India must want others, too, to succeed in this technology, so that it develops globally, and everybody benefits from pioneering work of the great Dr. Homi Bhabha’s wisdom.
Will India succeed where a number of others have failed? The world is watching us with great interest.
(Adapted from a paper by Dr. MR Srinivasan former Chairman NPCIL)
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Insurance Offer breaks Nuclear Jam
New Delhi, July 31: State-run NPCIL, which will build a 1400MW nuclear power plant at Gorakhpur in Haryana, is asking domestic equipment suppliers to buy a new insurance product, whose proceeds will create a corpus - nuclear liability pool - to compensate victims if there are mishaps. The lack of such a corpus was holding back both domestic and foreign suppliers from investing in the country's nuclear market, estimated at around $150 billion.
Foreign companies, including Westinghouse of the US, Japan's Mitsubishi, France's Areva and Russian suppliers, were reluctant to set up or supply equipment for nuclear power plants in India because a liability clause made it mandatory for them to compensate victims.
Though the liability clause was tweaked to fix the compensation limit at Rs 1,500 crore, the absence of any insurance policy for the corpus was keeping off suppliers.
The proposed policy not only meets the demand of foreign suppliers but also allows the government to offer clarity on liabilities. The Centre has got Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) to include in its first tender notice subscription to a Rs 1,500-crore nuclear insurance pool to be sold by a consortium of Indian insurance companies led by GIC Re.
This is the first time companies bidding to supply equipment for a plant are being asked to take a liability insurance cover.
NPCIL itself has bought a Rs 100-crore cover for liabilities in another Rs 1,500-crore pool that was launched last year by the government and set up by General Insurance Corporation with several other insurers.
Officials said the new second pool had been designed along similar lines for equipment suppliers.
Those who win the NPCIL tender will have to take a policy before supplying equipment.

Both foreign suppliers such as Westinghouse and NPCIL have been insisting on an insurance pool. NPCIL was facing an equipment crunch for its new projects as the suppliers were unwilling to come forward without any insurance for their liability.
GIC Re and 11 non-life insurers, including New India, Oriental Insurance, National Insurance and United India Insurance, will sell policies under this nuclear liability pool and pay proportionately for a total compensation of Rs 1,500 crore.
India plans to ramp up its nuclear generation capacity ten-fold by 2032 to over 63,000MW. Some of these plans, including the setting up of around a dozen power plants, may now see the light of the day.
Land acquisition for the Gorakhpur project in Haryana is complete and work is slated to start by the end of this year. However, the plant would be ready only by 2021.
The suppliers to this plant will be Indian companies. and among those expected to bid are BHEL and L&T.
However, the other plants coming up at Jaitapur in Maharashtra and Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh will be set up by foreign suppliers, who will be watching how the insurance pool works out and how comfortable Indian companies are in dealing with it.
Earlier this month, a team from Electricite de France held talks with the ministry of external affairs and NPCIL on the Jaitapur plant, where it plans to install six reactors.
Westinghouse is expected to supply equipment for the Kovvada plant. Documents for validating a previous deal are currently being submitted, said officials.
 

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Kudankulam plant is safest in the world, says Russian official

A view of the Kudankulam plant.

Vladimir Angelov, Director of Projects, ASE group in India.
_________________________________________________
In December 2014, both sides announced a decision for the construction of at least 12 more units in India.

Vladimir Angelov, Director of projects for ASE group of companies in India, part of Rosatom of Russia spoke on the safety aspects and progress of setting up Russian nuclear plants in an exclusive interview to The Hindu in response to written questions.
Many people raise safety concerns after the incident with at Fukushima nuclear power plant (NPP). What measures have been taken to tackle such situations?
Kudankulam NPP is the first nuclear power plant in the world where the post-Fukushima safety enhancement requirements have already been implemented and being operated successfully. We analysed the basic technical design of Units 1 and 2 in terms of the lessons from Fukushima. We came to the conclusion that they would have withstood a Fukushima-like incident.
However, we are enforcing even stricter requirements. The Indian side requested us to review the possibility of enhancing certain parameters and we also undertook the effort of analysing and enhancing them. So Units 3 and 4 are designed for even higher seismic, climatic and technical impact.
All power units are equipped with modern diagnostics systems which prevent the anticipated operational occurrences before they start. There are number of the advanced active and passive safety systems which ensure unprecedented level of nuclear and ecological safety into the design of the NPP. Double localizing and protecting containment, passive heat removal system from reactor plant, core catcher, and closed industrial water intake for NPP are some of them.
For example, passive heat removal system ensures cooling of the steam generator in automatic mode. Personnel participation is not required at this process. This system also does not require the energy supply. Another one is core catcher, which is provided with the absorbing elements. In the case of anticipated operational occurrences it prevents penetration of the melting core into the ground and environment.
The reactor plant of the NPP is protected from the impact of earthquake, tsunami, tornado and hurricanes. According to our estimations KNPP can withstand any anticipated operational occurrences, it can even withstand fall of aircraft. Therefore, we can firmly state that presently India possesses the safest NPP in the world.
The great attention in Kudankulam NPP project is put to preserve the biological diversity and reach local flora and fauna of the Mannar Bay. Sea water is supplied from the so called “bucket” constructed in the sea into the special facilities and systems which ensure that fish and plankton return to sea.
Could you update us on the current status of Unit 1 and 2 of KNPP?
Upon completion of scheduled preventive repair and refueling, the Unit 1, which began generating power in October 2013, is under the stable operation at 100 percent power level since the third week of February, electric load is 1003-1009 MW against 995 MW of design load. Unit 1, which is in commercial generation since December, 2014, has so far produced 1006 crore MW of electricity. The electricity tariff for the power generated by Kudankulam NPP is maintained at the level established by the Indian Government in 2010-11 without any escalation and is considered to be one of the most efficient tariffs in India.
When will power start-up of the Unit 2 take place?
On July 10, 2016 the Unit 2 attained criticality after fuel loading had been completed in May, four days ahead of schedule. According to the schedule presented by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and as estimated by the Russian party, Unit 2 connection to the grid is planned in August.
What were the reasons for several postponements?
Considering that technology for construction of light-water reactors (LWR) VVER-1000 reactors has been adopted in India for the first time, commissioning of the units took longer than it was planned under the initial mobilization schedule. It is natural because initially the NPP construction time was estimated in accordance with a typical project construction time in Russia. Specifics of working in India rather extended the time. Also works have been postponed due to a necessity of gaining experience of joint workmanship between Indian staff and Russian specialists.
What about the Units 3 and 4?
In February this year Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) had begun soil excavation and preparation of pits for construction of Units 3 and 4. The following contracts have been signed and are executed: supply of long-term manufacturing equipment and first-priority supplies (first equipment supplies to the NPP started in May 2016); Detailed Design Documentation development (25 packages of DDD have been forwarded to since December 2015); supply of all other equipment and materials from Russia. Draft contract for supplies from third countries is being prepared.[/QUOTE
Manufacturing of equipment under the signed contracts for long lead equipment and equipment of first-priority supply is opened. Equipment ordering process has been started under the signed contract for remaining equipment.
What are Rosatom future plans in India?
In November 2015, Russia submitted technical-commercial offer to India for Units 5 and 6. Design of Units 5 and 6 has been agreed upon. NPCIL accepted critical decision on implemented project for Units 5, 6 - it is VVER-1000 project. In February, 2016 a road map for construction of Units 5 and 6 prior to the General Framework Agreement (GFA) has been signed. The GFA is expected to be signed in autumn this year (September-November, 2016).
What about a new site other than Kudankulam for additional reactors?
On December 11, 2014 India and Russia signed the Strategic Vision for Strengthening Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy. It envisages the construction of 12 more Russia-designed NPP power units within the next 20 years in India.
On December 25, 2015 Narendra Modi, Prime Minister of India, during his official visit to Russia made a statement that leaders of the countries agreed on allocation of one more site in India for construction of nuclear power units of Russian design.
Newest VVER-1200 type reactors shall be constructed there with implementation of the most up-to- date and safe technological solutions. Currently an issue on allocation of one more site for construction of six new Russia-designed nuclear reactors is being considered by the Indian party. We hope to obtain more detailed information on site in the nearest time.
 

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Russia, India discuss production of components for nuclear fuel reactors
India might start production of nuclear fuel reactors components of Russian design in the next 10 years.

© EPA
MOSCOW, August 2. /TASS/. India might start production of components for nuclear fuel reactors of Russian design in the next 10 years, Vice-President of the Tvel - fuel company of Rosatom Oleg Grigoriev told TASS on Tuesday.
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"Work on localization should be definitively linked to the schedule of expanding reactors of Russian design in India. Therefore, if all current plans for Russian units in India are implemented, I hope in the next 10 years first components produced in India will be used in fuel for Indian nuclear power plants," Grigoriev said. He noted that it should be preceded by adaptation of the law, and personnel training.
"The first steps have already been made," he said.
"Of course, a lot will depend on regional specifics and peculiarities," he said.
Grigoriev added that, despite the guarantee of uninterrupted supply of Russian nuclear fuel, Tvel is ready to support the efforts of Indian partners in the localization of part of its production in India.
"We already have experience in conversion. We have repeatedly carried out economic calculations and estimates for volume of fuel to keep the plant cost-effective. The number is around 10-12 energy blocks," he said.
Grigoriev said that the question of localization of fuel assemblies - is not a current issue, but a matter for the medium term.
NPP equipment localization roadmap
Russia and India will draft a roadmap for localization of nuclear power plant (NPP) equipment shortly, Oleg Grigoryev said.
"A detailed localization roadmap we are to follow will be developed and agreed by the parties in coming future," Grigoryev said. "Reasoning from our experience and understanding of stages, the work should most probably start from localization of components for fuel assemblies. Final decision on localization depths, its timing and sequence is the subject matter of agreement with Indian partners," he added.
Russian offers India advanced nuclear fuel for Kudankulam NPP
According to Grigoriev, Russia is ready to transfer Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) to the advanced type of nuclear fuel TVS-2M with participation of Russian specialists as soon as possible.
"We are ready to transfer Kudankulam NPP to the fuel as soon as possible in compliance with all the requirements of the Indian regulator for safety and security of fuel assemblies," he said.
Grigoriev noted that the continuous improvement of nuclear fuel is one of the main competitive advantages of Russia in the nuclear field, and the company is investing "significant resources and efforts in science" for further developments.
According to him, at the time of the decision to construction the first reactors of Russian design in India, UTVS design was the most correspondent to the India’s needs. The design is exported until this day.
Now, the Russian side offers Indian partners a more modern design of nuclear fuel - TVS-2M with improved economic and technical characteristics.
"The only restriction for this project is time - UTVS fuel has been developed under the agreement of the parties for the next 3-4 years. As soon as it is used up, the station will use the new type of fuel," Grigoriev said, adding that in case the Indian side agrees with another project formula, transition to the new fuel will be faster.
"In any case, we are interested. Our strategic priority is to fully satisfy the requirements of our customers. In transitioning to TVS-2M, the customer will not face any additional complications. We offer our partners only verified and reference nuclear fuel that previously has passed all stages of testing in Russia. This type of fuel assemblies is no exception," he said.
 

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Achievements in Atomic Energy - Indian Defense News

During the last two years some of the major achievements in the field of Atomic Energy have been:

Start of Commercial Operation of Kudankulam Unit-1
Criticality (start of controlled self sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction for the first time) of Kudankulam Unit-2
Commencement of excavation at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) 3&4 (2X1000 MW) and placement of order for long delivery critical equipments for Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana (GHAVP) 1&2 (2X700 MW).
Longest continuous run of 765 days by a unit Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS-5), second longest in the world.
Dhruva completed 30 yrs of criticality. This year it achieved highest ever capacity factor, peak power of 100 MWth and lowest fuel failure rate.
The Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) was operated at the highest ever power level of 24.5 MWt and 5 MWe
Sodium submersible annular induction pump, first of its kind has been designed, manufactured indigenously and tested in sodium facility.
The Indus-2 synchrotron radiation source at Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) operating at 2.5 GeV energy and up to 200 mA current.
Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) has achieved highest ever production of 1332.973 tonnes of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) fuel compared to 1008.867 MT in previous year.
Heavy Water Board (HWB) achieved breakthrough in indigenous development of closed cell technology for Nuclear Grade Sodium production on sustained basis.
Installation of Radiation Detection Equipment at major seaports completed by Electronics Corporation of India Limited (ECIL).
Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) research facility earned the prestigious AAHRPP (Association for the Accreditation of Human Research Protection Program) accreditation which certifies towards the highest standard of research in cancer care and patient safety measures.
A large number of medical centres in the country are using radiopharmaceuticals supplied by DAE Units, Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology (BRIT) & Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), for diagnosis and therapy of certain diseases, particularly cancer.
Technologies developed by DAE help enhancing the environmental safety, and in turn, support the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan Mission. These technologies can become part of the ‘smart cities’, which are planned by the Government. The BARC biogas plant Nisargruna for processing bio-waste for production of energy or cooking gas has been installed in over 195 places until June 2015. Many more such plants are planned in the coming years.

In the field of nuclear power generation, new nuclear power projects based on both indigenous technologies and with foreign technical cooperation are planned. In this regard, the Government has accorded ‘in principle’ approval for the following sites for locating nuclear power projects in the future:

@ In addition to GHAVP 1&2 $ In addition to KKNPP 1 to 4 * Nominal Capacity
The setting up of nuclear power plants are mainly impacted due to delay in acquisition of land for new projects, addressing issues of Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R), addressing issues of component manufacturers & suppliers related to Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act, 2010 and conclusion of discussions with foreign technology partners.
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South Australia keen for n-energy business with India
With the civil nuclear agreement between India and Australia coming into force at the end of last year, the South Australia is keen to do business with India

New Delhi: With the civil nuclear agreement between India and Australia coming into force at the end of last year, the state of South Australia is keen to do business with India in the nuclear energy sector, the state's Minister for Trade and Investment, Defence Services and Veterans' Affairs Martin Hamilton-Smith said on Monday.
"India and Australia have a great future in the field of nuclear energy," Hamilton-Smith, who is currently leading a 100-member delegation of the South Australia Trade Commission (SATC) to India, said at a media interaction here.
Of Australia's total uranium deposits, 81 percent are in South Australia of which 40 percent are extractable.
"Building nuclear power plants in India will also lead to a cleaner environment," Hamilton-Smith said.
Though the India-Australia civil nuclear agreement was ratified by the Union cabinet in December last year, uranium supplies from Australia are yet to start.
Asked if this was due to Australian companies' concerns over India's nuclear safeguards, Hamilton-Smith replied in the negative.
There are eight areas of focus of the SATC delegation's mission to India: defence and advanced manufacturing ; water and environment; education and vocational education training; health; premium food and wine, fashion; and sports, culture and tourism.
Stating that India was South Australia's third largest trading partner, Hamilton-Smith said trade in goods and services between the two sides stood at A$1-1.2 billion (A$1=$0.76) in 2015.
"We sell copper, lead, wheat, food and wine to India and buy diesel, petrol, jewellery and motor vehicles from India," he said.
In the area of defence manufacturing, he said that South Australia was playing a major role in the A$90 billion worth of submarines, frigates and patrolling that Australia was building for India.
South Australia is considered the national centre of naval shipbuilding and submarine sustainment, home to the Royal Australian Navy's largest and most complex over the past three decades and confirmed build location for Australia's next generation warships and submarines.
The SATC delegation, during the course of its visit, also held a meeting with Minister of State for Defence Subhash Ramrao Bhamre.
Hamilton-Smith said that South Australia also has a lot to offer India in terms of water management technology.
He pointed out that his state was the the driest one in Australia and had faced a serious drought recently.
In the area of education too, South Australia is keen to boost its ties with India.
The minister said that there are around 3,400 Indian students in South Australia forming around three percent of the international students in the state.
"I want to double or even triple that number," Hamilton-Smith said, adding that South Australia was also a safer alternative to big Australian cities like Sydney and Melbourne.
Apart from New Delhi, the SATC delegation will also visit Jaipur (the Rajasthan capital is the sister city of South Australia's capital Adelaide), Bengaluru and Mumbai.
 

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Second India-Russia n-power plant may have VVER-1200 reactor
New Delhi, Aug 8 (IANS) As the world's first Generation 3-plus nuclear power unit was connected to the power grid in Russia last week, experts in India say the next nuclear power plant that India and Russia are to set up together may have a similar reactor.
The Unit 6 of Novovoronezh Nuclear Power Plant in Russia has the most powerful VVER-1200, with 20 percent more capacity than earlier generation VVER-1000 reactors that India has at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. It was connected to the Russian power grid on Friday.
Eminent nuclear scientist and former Chairman of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India M.R. Srinivasan told IANS that India expects to build similar units at the second site where India and Russia will be setting up a nuclear power plant.
"The launch of the new 1,200 MW NPP, such as the one at Novovoronezh is of interest for India. We expect to build the larger size units at the second site that is likely to be made available for Russian reactors," said Srinivasan, who has played a key role in the development of India's nuclear power programme.
He also said that the safety features at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, built by India and Russia, were good, but those in the VVER 1200 plants are expected to be better.
"India is satisfied with the safety provisions of Russian Nuclear Power Units. Indian and Russian nuclear safety regulatory authorities have collaborated at Kudankulam to enhance the safety of the reactors substantially. We expect the 1,200 MW unit also to have highest standards of safety and reliability," he said.
According to the Strategic Vision for Strengthening Cooperation in Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy Between India and Russia, both sides have plans to build complete construction and commissioning of 12 power units in the next two decades.
While Kudankulam is the first plant with six units -- two of which are functioning now, the site for the second plant is yet to be finalised.
Vladimir Angelov, Director for Projects in India for ASE, the engineering and construction division of Russian state atomic power corporation Rosatom, in an interview to IANS earlier had said VVER-1200 type reactors will be constructed in India with implementation of the most up-to-date safety technological solutions.
Rosatom officials, meanwhile, told IANS all of post-Fukushima requirements have been applied to the new Novovoronezh NPP nuclear units.
The VVER-1200 units have better power economy, and involve lesser staff, a Rosatom official said.
"Due to the broad automation and centralization of functions and processes, the amount of staff, as opposed to nuclear units of the previous generation with reactors like VVER 1000, has been reduced by 30-40 percent. Design life of the main equipment has been increased twofold compared to the previous generation nuclear power units and currently equals 60 years," the official said.
"The project provides us with the possibility to build reference nuclear power plants across areas with diverse natural and geographical conditions and technogenic impacts. It can be implemented on sites with nine different foundations, from rocks to soft soils," the official said.
The main feature of VVER-1200 project is its unique combination of active and passive safety systems, and the nuclear power unit is equipped with two protective shells with a ventilated space between them.
The internal protective shell ensures that the space where the reactor is placed is sealed, while external shell is designed to resist natural disasters like tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, or accidents like explosions or plane crashes.
Passive safety systems in the plant are capable of functioning even in case of a complete loss of power supply, officials said.
A core melt localization device (CMLD), or a the "core catcher", is installed at the bottom of the station protective shell. It is made for localization and cooling the molten core material in case of a hypothetical accident which can lead to damage of the core.
"The "core catcher" allows to preserve the integrity of the protective shell and thus to exclude radioactive emission in the environment even if the hypothetical accident is severe," the official added.
--IANS
 

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Modi, Jaya and Putin dedicate Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Unit-I

TIRUNELVELI : Nearly three decades after the first contract was inked between India and Russia — a period that saw the collapse of the Soviet Union and the resultant change in world order, and as many as 10 governments at the Centre — Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa jointly dedicated Unit 1 of the KudankulamNuclear Power Plant on Wednesday afternoon.
UPDATES:
Modi terms the Kudankulam plant another strategic partnership with Russia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the commissioning of the first 1,000 MW unit in Kudankulam is a mark of another strategic partnership between India and Russia. Speaking on the occasion of dedicating the first 1,000 MW unit built with Russian equipment, Modi said it is only the start of the collaboration in the nuclear field between the two nations.
Jayalalithaa issues safety concerns
“The smooth commercial operation of this project overcoming many obstacles – economic, political and social, global, national and local – stands testimony to the unwavering commitment to the project of the governments of Tamil Nadu, India and Russia,” said Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa.
Recalling how her government addressed the fears of the local public who rose in protest, Jaya said the successful commissioning of the project is an object lesson on how the fears and apprehensions of the local population can and should be allayed, “through a process of engagement and reassurance, and by building community assets and infrastructure."
She expressed confidence that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited will maintain the highest safety standards.
Jaya also urged the leaders to hasten the commissioning of the second unit, “considering the needs of our fast growing economy and the needs of our industrial and agricultural sectors”.
In dedicating Kudankulam nuclear power plant we mark another historic tie between India and Russia: PM Modi pic.twitter.com/vkKkhFFe1Q

— ANI (@ANI_news) August 10, 2016

Russia President Putin speaking at inauguration of Unit 1 of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant via video conference pic.twitter.com/8Cwxotl6tj

— ANI (@ANI_news) August 10, 2016

PM Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and TN CM at the inauguration of Unit 1 of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant pic.twitter.com/v8xUoZHis2

— ANI (@ANI_news) August 10, 2016

The function was organised over video conference between the three leaders in their respective capitals and the fourth point will be at the plant site in Tirunelveli, top officials at KKNPP told Express. The chairman and managing director of Nuclear Power Corporation of India and site director RS Sundar, among others, were also present during the function.
Speaking to Express in the midst of making arrangements for the event, Sundar, a man from Tirunelveli who was appointed the site director, said the Unit 1 was now generating 1,000 MWe of power. “The second unit, which achieved criticality a month ago, will begin power production by month end,” he said.
The complex is en route to becoming the biggest such in the country — the framework agreement for units 5 and 6 will reportedly be ready by the end of the year. “Excavation work is now going on for units 3 and 4,” he added.
Police sources said they had not deployed any additional forces, but intelligence agencies are monitoring the protesters.
This is a major milestone for the project that has been beset with troubles of various kinds over the years: soon after the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet president Mikhail Gorbachev signed the Inter-Governmental deal in 1988, it was stuck in the international and domestic political developments in both countries.
The governments led by Deve Gowda and Boris Yeltsin revived it in 1998, and the contract was signed by the ones headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Putin in 2002. The civil work began almost immediately.
There were other setbacks as well, including the death of project director Sunil Kumar Agarwal due to illness, and that of Sergei Ryzhov, chief designer of the plant’s light water VVER reactor, in a plane crash in 2011.
But the biggest challenge it faced was when people from the coastal villages that surrounded the plant rose in protest against setting the complex. They were alarmed after reports began coming in about radiation contamination, when a nuclear power plant in Fukushima, Japan was flooded following tsunami.
The activists, whose campaigns were rather passive till then, quickly captured the opportunity to raise a massive and well-organised protest in the second half of 2011. It was not enough to stop the project, but they managed to slow it down and also raised a series of questions about the liability clause, an important but seldom discussed aspect till then.
The protest has finally turned docile over years, and the cost of the project went up from Rs 13,171 crore to around Rs 22, 000 crore.
 

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India, Russia to build five more nuclear reactors
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Putin open first unit of massive Kudankulam plant.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin. (Photo: PTI/File)
KUDANKULAM: Five more nuclear reactors, which would generate 1,000 MW each, are being planned at the existing Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday as he dedicated the first unit of the mega power plant here along with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Doing the honours through video conferencing in New Delhi and Moscow respectively, Mr Modi and Mr Putin termed the nuclear plant as a “fine example of special and privileged Indo-Russian strategic partnership”.
“And, it is only a start of our collaboration in this field. It is perhaps not commonly known that at 1,000 Mega Watt, Kundankulum 1 is the largest single unit of electrical power in India. In years ahead, we are determined to pursue an ambitious agenda of nuclear power generation. At Kudankulum alone, five more units of 1,000 MW each are planned. We plan to build a series of bigger nuclear power units,” the Prime Minister said in his address.
Mr Putin said the unit has been built using most advanced Russian technology incorporating highest safety standards while Modi asserted that India was determined to pursue an ambitious agenda of nuclear power generation.
The Kudankulam 1 has been jointly built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Russia's Rosatom and it had started generating electricity in 2013. Anti-nuclear activists and local people had protested against the project claiming it was unsafe. The agreement for the project was inked by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1988 but actual work on the ground started only in 1997. The KNPP uses Russian VVER type reactors based on enriched uranium and its second unit was expected to start later this year.
Tags: Prime Minister Narendra Modi,Russian President Vladimir Putin
Location: India, Tamil Nadu, Chennai (Madras)
 

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Multitude of Foreign Companies Interested In India's Nuclear Power Projects

Several foreign companies from various countries including Westinghouse Electric Company (WEC) and GE-Hitachi, United States of America (USA), Electricite de France (EDF), France and Rosatom, Russia have shown interest in participating in the country’s nuclear power projects in various capacities as technology partners, suppliers, contractors, service providers, etc.
As per the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Policy of the Government, FDI is not permitted in nuclear power sector. Thus, foreign companies cannot invest in nuclear power. Nuclear power projects to be set up with foreign technical cooperation are planned to be funded by a mix of equity and debt, with equity to be mobilized from internal resources of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), Joint Venture companies between NPCIL and other Central Public Sector Undertakings and Government budgetary support. Foreign companies can however, invest in the supply chain for nuclear power projects.
Every twin unit nuclear power station would generate a direct employment of about 850 comprising engineers, supervisors, technicians and other personnel. In addition, indirect employment for thousands of people would be generated with suppliers, contractors, service providers, etc. The resultant increase in economic activity would open up opportunities for various businesses and will result in further employment generation.
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IDN TAKE: Addition of Atomic Power Units in Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS), Approval of LIGO Project In India

Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS)
The present installed nuclear power capacity in the state of Rajasthan is 1180 MW comprising six units, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station (RAPS) 1 to 6 at Rawatbhata. Of these, one unit, RAPS, Unit-1(100 MW) is presently under shutdown for techno-economic assessment and the remaining five, RAPS 2 to 6 are operating at their rated capacity.
Two units each of 700 MW capacity (RAPP 7&8 – 2X700 MW) are under construction at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan. These are expected to be completed by 2019. In addition, Government has accorded ‘In Principle’ approval for setting up of 4X700 MW capacity units at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan. Presently pre-project activities like the acquisition of land, obtaining statutory clearances and site investigations have started at the site.
Approval of Funds For Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO)
The Government has given ‘in-principle’ approval for setting up Laser Interferometer Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO) in India. The LIGO-India project will establish a state-of-the-art gravitational wave observatory on the Indian soil in collaboration with the LIGO Laboratory in the U.S. run by Caltech and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The project will bring unprecedented opportunities for our scientists and engineers to dig deeper into the realm of gravitational wave and take global leadership in this new astronomical frontier. LIGO-India will also bring considerable opportunities in cutting edge technology for the Indian industry which will be engaged in the construction of eight-kilometer long beam tube at the ultra-high vacuum on a leveled terrain. The LIGO-India project will be jointly coordinated and executed by three premier Indian lead institutions viz., the Inter-University Center for Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA), Pune, the Institute for Plasma Research (IPR), Gandhinagar and the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT), Indore. Some of the Universities in the country will also participate in the project.
Foreign Defense Companies to set up Domestic Units
So far, 36 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) / Joint Ventures proposals have been approved in defence sector for manufacture of various defence equipment, both with Indian Public and Private companies.
The State wise details of FDI / JV approvals so far are given below:
IMG_20160814_123655.JPG

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A pakistani analysis of India's nuclear ambitions.
Disclaimer: I'm not posting the picture given in article because it has an incorrect depiction of Indian Map.
Though posting the article, I, DFI members or DFI Administration do not support this malfunction in anyway nor we agree with that. Still moderators may delete the post immediately if needed, I would have no objection.

Thank you.
:)
@pmaitra @Kunal Biswas

Indian Inclination Towards Uranium Ores – OpEd
Indian aspirations of uranium treasury could be best seen in the statement made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who described uranium as “not just a mineral but an article of faith for India.” The on-going uranium sales to India is at its peak since 2005 right after the US announced its budding strategic partnership with India. The US called India as its like-minded, best strategic partner and granted it an immensely gigantic uranium deal by paying all the prices whether it comes amend its domestic laws or requesting waiver from the export control cartel, NSG. Ever since then, India went for similar deals with Australia, Kazakhstan, France and many other countries.
Palpably, Tony Abbott signed the agreement to make Australia a “long-term, reliable supplier of uranium to India” in New Delhi. Article six of the treaty grants India unprecedented open-ended “reprocessing consent”, which could leave Australia without a say in how the nuclear material it shipped to India was used. Ironically, when uranium is used to generate electricity, weapons-grade plutonium can be recovered as a byproduct and “reprocessed” to create more energy or to produce nuclear weapons.
Since the treaty permits India to reprocess Australian uranium provided it does so in a US-approved facility. But Carlson, now a fellow at the Lowy Institute, said the US deal with India did not specify how the resulting plutonium should be managed. Similarly, he showed skepticism over the use of plutonium by this deal too.
Indian uranium deals with Kazakhstan and Australia. It imports around 40 per cent of its requirement — between 2008 and 2014, imports of uranium totaled 4,458 metric tonnes, 2,058 MT of which came from Russia’s Tvel Corporation, 2,100 MT from NAC Kazatomprom of Kazakhstan and 300 MT from Areva of France.
It is not possible to exactly identify how much uranium does India produces. Ironically, Indian government has never released fixed or exact data on local uranium production, but it is estimated to be around 350-400 MT. Total Indian reserves are estimated at 181,600 MT, mainly in Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Meghalaya.
Acknowledging the fact that India is inclined towards uranium usage day by day, India has 21 operational nuclear reactors and six under construction, which use uranium as fuel. The nuclear component of India’s energy production is currently under 3 per cent at 6,000 MW. By 2032, India expects to have 45,000 MW of nuclear capacity, provided it has assured uranium fuel supplies.
India is believed to have stores of up to 110 warheads. A 2012 report by India’s auditor-general facilities were under-resourced and poorly regulated. When such facilities would be kept open-ended without any check and balance upon them, it is obvious that they would be subject of miss use and miss handled. The truth is written very openly in one of the clauses of the 123 agreement that the by-product material shall not be subject to safeguards or any other form of verification under this Agreement, unless it has been decided otherwise by prior mutual agreement in writing between the two Parties. Factually, India is getting Uranium and its indigenous PHWR plants are now able to run on full capacity. Also, India is in a position to set up many more of the 700 MWe indigenous units … 4 are already under construction, and 12 more under advanced stages of planning. Given that India is estimated to possess reserves of about 80,000–112,369 tons of uranium, India has more than enough fissile material to supply its nuclear weapons program, even if it restricted Plutonium production to only 8 of the country’s 17 current reactors, and then further restricted Plutonium production to only 1/4 of the fuel core of these reactors.
According to the calculations of one of the key advisers to the US Nuclear deal negotiating team, Ashley Tellis: operating India’s eight unsafeguarded PHWRs in such a [conservative] regime would bequeath New Delhi with some 12,135–13,370 kilograms of weapons-grade plutonium, which is sufficient to produce between 2,023–2,228 nuclear weapons over and above those already existing in the Indian arsenal. Although no Indian analyst, let alone a policy maker, has ever advocated any nuclear inventory that even remotely approximates such numbers, this heuristic exercise confirms that New Delhi has the capability to produce a gigantic nuclear arsenal while subsisting well within the lowest estimates of its known uranium reserves.
This growing inclination towards uranium reservations and increasing disastrous and advanced level weaponry would adversary impact the regional security architecture and strategic stability concerns. Keeping the above mentioned clues, it is not only India behind this entire catastrophe; it is in effect a part of a colossal plan of the entire power seeking community.
TOPICS: Energy|India|Nuclear|South Asia
Writer called Beenish Atlaf is from Islamabad.
 

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Kundankulam unit 3, 4 civil work to begin soon

File photo shows the two reactors of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) in Tirunelveli district. | PTI
___________________________________________

‘First pour of concrete’ to take place before the start of the next fiscal
After the successful commissioning and synchronisation of the first two 1,000 MWe VVER reactors of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), pre-project work on the third and the fourth units has gathered momentum with 6 lakh cubic metre of soil excavated since February, preparing the ground for early commencement of construction work.
Announcing this during the Independence Day celebrations at Anuvijay Township here on Monday, Site Director R.S. Sundar said the first reactor of KKNPP, performing exceptionally well since February 22 last, had generated 10,900 million units of electricity since its synchronisation with Southern Grid following the reactor’s criticality on July 13, 2013.
The second unit that attained criticality on July 10 cleared all mandatory tests and hence the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board gave its go ahead on Sunday for its synchronisation with the grid.
The “First Pour of Concrete”, a major milestone in the construction of Units 3 and 4, would take place before the start of next fiscal.
Under the Neighbourhood Development Programme, Mr. Sundar said, the KKNPP had spent Rs. 127 crore through the District Collector for infrastructure development in the villages around the project site. Another Rs. 120 crore had been released for the permanent housing scheme. Of the 10,000 houses proposed under this scheme, around 5,000 were nearing completion in the first phase.
Under the Corporate Social Responsibility in the last few years, the KKNPP had spent Rs. 10 crore for 300 projects, which included construction of additional classroom buildings in various schools, clean drinking water, and other activities.
Awareness campaign
“The Public Awareness Team of KKNPP is putting its best efforts to reach out to as many people as possible to bust the myth about nuclear energy and so far almost one lakh people had visited KKNPP site through various programmes since 2011. More than 350 lectures and seminars had been organised in schools, colleges, and other forums through which the KKNPP had met over 5 lakh people.
“This helped us in making the public understand the safety of the KKNPP reactors clearly. It is planned to intensify the programme to reach several schools and public institutions in a big way,” said the Site Director.
Mr. Sundar, who in June received Russian Government’s highest civilian award of ‘The Order of Friendship Award’, thanked the Russian Government, the Russian specialists at the project site, and various departments of KKNPP on the occasion.
 

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Did this fact has been discussed anywhere that for last 1 decade or so, India is trying hard to mine Uranium ore from NE India. But recently it did faced a hurdle from some Greenpeace NGOs and local bodies which have got backing from the state govt too recently.
 

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Did this fact has been discussed anywhere that for last 1 decade or so, India is trying hard to mine Uranium ore from NE India. But recently it did faced a hurdle from some Greenpeace NGOs and local bodies which have got backing from the state govt too recently.
Yes, there are such mines in NE.
Irrespective of green peace, currently it is not cost effective because of lack of proper road and train infrastructure there. If I remember correctly uranium is usually found along with iron ore mines.

We had to drop a mining business venture because of this reason 4 years back. In our case it turned out we had to lay about 16 km road on our own dime from mine to nearest highway. Mining scandal during Congi times did not help either.

In my opinion, we should not go too big on NE mining yet. Better to import as much as we can. Conserve them as much for next generations.
 

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Yes, there are such mines in NE.
Irrespective of green peace, currently it is not cost effective because of lack of proper road and train infrastructure there. If I remember correctly uranium is usually found along with iron ore mines.

We had to drop a mining business venture because of this reason 4 years back. In our case it turned out we had to lay about 16 km road on our own dime from mine to nearest highway. Mining scandal during Congi times did not help either.

In my opinion, we should not go too big on NE mining yet. Better to import as much as we can. Conserve them as much for next generations.
As far as road and rail infra is concerned, Meghalaya comes second to Assam in infrastructure in NE. Infact roads in Meghalaya are in much better shape then those in Assam. Moreover where this deposit has been found is in West Khasi hills region, which is infra structurally much better then rest of Meghalaya. Moreover right now train link is also being extended to Meghalaya. Moreover once you get hold of any mining site, then only you could start developing road and rail over there accordingly.

But the concern here is not the absence of infrastructure, its the presence of some crooked personalities and NGOs which is hampering even the studies. A board has been setup in Shillong for studying the feasibilty and to educate the local population regarding the mining around which a veil of misunderstanding has been created. Recently their office is been vandalised by some people who is against the mining as they think that it does posses health hazard to local population. On top of it, Govt of Meghalaya had asked the board to stop their activities.
 

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Did this fact has been discussed anywhere that for last 1 decade or so, India is trying hard to mine Uranium ore from NE India. But recently it did faced a hurdle from some Greenpeace NGOs and local bodies which have got backing from the state govt too recently.
Not on this thread, but we have discussed about this foreign lobbyist Greenpeace India, on mission to shut down India's industrial complex on other threads.
 

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