JSC Atomstroyexport President visits Kudankulam nuclear plant

A top official of Russian state nuclear corporation has met his company's scientists working towards commissioning the Indo-Russian joint venture, Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tirunelveli district, sources said today.
Valery Limarenko, president of JSC NIAEP - JSC Atomstroyexport visited the KNPP site at Kudankulam yesterday and met the scientists at the plant premises, they said.
"It was more of an internal meeting of Atomstroyexport. It lasted for an hour," a KNPP official told PTI.
Asked about the status of the KNPP first unit, which was to have connected to the southern power grid, he said, "We are on the job. Due to some procedures, which is taking a little longer, we can say we will connect to the grid by the second week of this month."

The first unit of KNPP had attained criticality on July 13 this year. Commissioning of the JV in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district was delayed due to anti-nuclear protests doubting safety of such plants.
According to Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, being controlled by Department of Atomic Energy, 99.72 per cent of physical progress at the plant has been completed and it is expected to go for commercial operation this month.