Second Kudankulam nuclear power unit attains criticality

The second unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, in southern Tamil Nadu’s Tirunelveli district, 650 km from here, attained criticality on Sunday night.

Criticality is the level of nuclear fission allowing the unit to work at a steady power level.

After that, said R S Sundar, the site director, it will take another month or more to become operational; a series of physical tests need to be done before that, and after criticality.

Kudankulam’s first unit, of 1,000 Mw, commenced commercial production at end-December, 2014, also getting connected to the southern power grid. This second unit is also of 1,000 Mw. The nuclear reactors are from Russia. Total outlay for the project is a little over Rs 17,000 crore.