 "A policeman walks on a beach near Kudankulam nuclear power project (photo: Reuters)")
Russian state-owned atomic energy giant Rosatom on Tuesday announced that its nuclear fuel division — managed by TVEL JSC — has supplied nuclear fuel for the initial loading of the VVER-1000 reactor core at unit 3 of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (NPP) in Tamil Nadu.
The fuel, including the initial reactor loading and reserve assemblies, was manufactured by the Novosibirsk chemical concentrates plant, a facility of Rosatom’s nuclear fuel division.
The shipment is provided under the contract covering full lifetime fuel supply for units 3 and 4.
The delivery was carried out under the contract for fuel supply of power units of the second stage of the project's third and fourth units for their entire service life starting from the initial loading.
During the operation of the two power units of the first phase of the Kudankulam NPP, Russian and Indian engineers have worked to increase their efficiency through the introduction of advanced nuclear fuel and extended fuel cycles.
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“Starting from 2022, the Kudankulam NPP is supplied with nuclear fuel of the TVS-2M model. It provides more reliable and cost-effective reactor operation due to its rigid design, a new generation anti-debris filter and an increased mass of uranium,” Rosatom said.
The introduction of the fuel has enabled elongation of the fuel cycle of the reactors from 12 months to 18 months.
That means the power units are now stopped less frequently for fuel reload and they generate more electricity.
“This is the result of successful cooperation in recent years between Rosatom's nuclear fuel division and Indian partners. The efficient solutions that had been previously implemented at similar power plants in Russia and China were introduced at the two operational Kudankulam units,” Rosatom said.
The Kudankulam NPP involves the construction of 6 power units of VVER-1000 reactors with an installed capacity of 6,000 megawatt (Mw).
The two units of the first stage were commissioned in 2013 and 2017, respectively. The remaining four units, comprising the second and the third stages, are currently under construction.
The project is being developed by state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) while Rosatom's engineering division is the general designer and equipment supplier.
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