)
Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has granted clearance for "First Approach to Criticality"(FAC) of Kudankulam's first unit of 1,000 MW. AERB in a release issued today said "In general terms, FAC is the commencement of the controlled nuclear fission process for the first time, and is a step towards the subsequent beginning of power production in a nuclear reactor. Due to FAC, several number of low power tests will be carried out in order to verify the conformance of reactor characteristics to the design objectives before granting clearance for the next commissioning stage which is the phase wise increase in reactor power level."
Unit 1 is the first two units of VVER (Russian) reactors being used in the Kudankulam project. It is the first commercial pressurized water reactor (PWR) based nuclear power plant in the country. While granting clearance, AERB clarified that it has been ensured that the directives of Supreme Court given its judgement on May 6 are fully complied with.
AERB's approval for FAC has given a much needed boost to the state-run Nuclear Power Corporation which is developing the Kudankulam project with Russian experts. Further, AERB's nod will be the most important move to pave way for the commissioning of the nuclear project which has already been delayed due to opposition from the locals and thereafter due to the incorporation of additional safety measures following the Fukushima nuclear accident.
AERB secretary R Bhattacharya said AERB had earlier granted the final permission for 'Initial Fuel Loading (IFL) in unit I in September last year. Subsequently, further review was carried out by the specialist groups and the advisory committee for project safety review of AERB. "The clearance given for FAC is the culmination of indepth review of all associated safety aspects, commissioning results, corrective measures of the identified non conformances and submissions regarding fulfillment of various regulatory requirements," Bhattacharya added.
According to Bhattacharya, the reviews have included checks to ensure that quality assurance norms have been followed and the commissioned systems meet the acceptance criteria for safe operation.
