Kudankulam delays are on ‘teething problems’, says AEC chairman

BHUBANESHWAR: Delays at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project are due to “teething problems” common with perfecting a new technology, the chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission said.

“Maruti cars that are perfect today got there after 10 million were built first,” said Sekhar Basu, who is also secretary at the Department of Atomic Energy and head of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre. “This plant is the first of its kind in India and will be perfected after one or two cycles,” he told ET in an interview, pointing out that while it earlier took them a year to refuel some of the older reactors, the process now is completed in 20 days.

The first 1000 MW unit of KKNPP, shut down for refueling and maintenance in June, was expected to be operational again by the end October. “Based on a recent review, there is a reasonable chance that it will come online by December,” said Dr Basu. KKNPP-1 operated reasonably well for a year, considering it is the first updated VVER (a Russian version of Water-cooled water-moderated power reactor) type plant being built in India, he said.

KKNPP-2 is to achieve criticality somewhere in April 2016. Two more units have been ordered for which some agreements are to be signed, which could happen by the year-end. The possibility of buying some conventional non-nuclear equipment from Indian manufacturers under the Make in India programme is under consideration, Dr Basu said.

So, are we on track to achieve 14.6 GWe nuclear capacity by 2020? "With 21 reactors in operation and 10 more under construction, we will reach about 13.5 GWe by about 2022," said the noted scientist, who has been heading BARC since 2012. Operators and regulators are naturally very cautious when dealing with new technology, he said.

Preparation is underway for filling of the 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam with sodium (its coolant). Again, totally indigenous and marking India’s entry into Stage II of the three-stage programme its nuclear, the PFBR is expected to reach criticality in the second half of this year, he said.

Serious efforts are on to solve the nuclear liability issue, with meetings between insurance companies and other stakeholders happening every other day, he said. The government has taken a stand that “a supplier is one that has designed, supervised the fabrication of the equipment erected and commissioned the equipment,” which include companies like NPCIL, ROSATOM, Westinghouse, GE and Arevaa, sparing the Indian component supplier from any liability, he said. The fine-print of the right to recourse should be finalised soon, too. “But let me say this debate begins and ends here. The design of this system and operating expertise is such that incidents of large consequence is unlikely.”

The Australia-India Nuclear Cooperation Agreement is expected before the year end, allowing Australia to sell uranium to India. Meanwhile, Dr Basu would also like to see higher domestic production. UCIL mines in Jaduguda continue to be blamed for debilitating illnesses of those living nearby. Dr Basu said Jaduguda’s tailing pond issues have been addressed, and they have evidence of such cases in other areas too.

Not as quick to flat out attribute motives to activists protesting India’s nuclear push, as the current and previous governments have done, Dr Basu suggested sometimes they be taken with a pinch of salt. “I remember one news report that claimed there were more dog bites in Kalpakkam because of the nuclear plant,” he said.

Dr Basu is the architect of the Compact Pressurised Water Reactor, the prototype of the one powering India’s indigenously built nuclear submarine IANS Arihant. “Progress has been better than expected. The underwater trials are over, and she (the submarine) is doing very fine and should be inducted into the fleet very shortly,” he said.

Dr Basu disagreed with some of his peers who have chosen to return their awards to protest what they say growing intolerance in the society. “After all, the award has been given by our country. We have worked hard and so we have got the award. If we return this award, we are insulting the country and not others,” said the recipient of India’s fourth highest civilian award, the Padma Shri, in 2014.