Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant:

HISTORY:1)Background: An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) on the

project was signed on 20 November 1988 by then Prime Minister Rajiv

Gandhi and then Soviet head of state Mikhail Gorbachev, for the

construction of two reactors. The project remained in limbo for a decade

due to the dissolution of the Soviet Union . There were also objections from

the United States, on the grounds that the agreement did not meet the

1992 terms of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). M R Srinivasan ,   Atomic

Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman from 1987 to 1990, called the project

"a non-starter". However, the project was revived on 21 June 1998.

2)construction history: Construction began on 31 March 2002,

with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) predicting that the first

unit would be operational in March 2007, instead of the original target of

December 2007.

A small port became operational in Kudankulam on 14 January 2004. This

port was established to receive barges carrying over-sized light water

reactor equipment from ships anchored at a bring the total capacity of the

power plant to 6,800 MW or 6.8 GW.distance of 1.5 kilometres. Until 2004,

materials had to be brought in via road from the port of Thoothududi, risking

damage during transportation. In 2008, negotiations on building four

additional reactors at the site began. Though the capacity of these reactors

will be 1,200 MW or 1.2 GW. has not been declared, it was expected that

the capacity of each reactor

INTRODUCTION:

India has developed an installed capacity of 5,340 MW from wind power just over the last decade compared to 3580 MW from nuclear power developed over the last five decades. Nuclear power is expensive and dangerous. Its raw material is in short supply, as a result of which India is forced to sign a deal with the US, and scientists have no idea how to dispose off its radioactive waste. Wind power is dependent on naturally flowing wind which is in abundant supply available for free and doesn’t generate any regular waste. That is probably why the Koodankulam nuclear power plant has installed eight wind mills inside its premises. The deal, which does not have approval of the Indian parliament is not in the interest of people of this country and must be rejected. India must implement strict international safeguards in handling nuclear technology and materials and must develop an environment friendly power programme based on renewable resources. India has enough potential in solar and wind energy. Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power station currently under construction in Koodankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Project investment cost to India was estimated to be US$ 3.5 billion agreement in a 2001.

Basic common component:

1)Fuel – Uranium, a radioactive, heavy metal ore, is the most common fuel for nuclear reactors. Following the enrichment process, uranium becomes a very concentrated fuel.A commercial nuclear reactor requires thousands of pounds of enriched uranium fuel in order to operate. Civilian nuclear power plants in the U.S. purchase approximately 50

2)Control Rods – Made from neutron-absorbing material such as cadmium, hafnium, or boron, control rods are inserted or withdrawn from the core to control the rate of reaction or to stop it if necessary.

3)Moderator – Material in the reactor core which slows down the neutrons released from fission so they cause more fission.The moderator is usually ordinary (light) water, but may be heavy water (D20) or graphite.

4)Coolant – Liquid or gas that circulates through the core to transfer the heat from it. In light water reactors the water moderator also functions as primary coolant.

5)Containment – Nuclear reactors are encased in heavily reinforced concrete structures to prevent radioactivity from escaping into the atmosphere.

Nuclear Reactor Types

Worldwide, various types of nuclear power reactors are used. However, the most common types are pressurized water reactors (PWR) and boiling water reactors (BWR), which are classified as light water reactors.In the plant, PWR and BWR are the only two types of commercial nuclear power plants in operation.

1. Boiling water reactor (BWR) 

2.Pressurized water reactor (PWR) 

3. CANDU and heavy water moderated reactors 

4.Pebble bed modular reactor 

Run through of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu :

1988 MOU signed between India and Soviet for construction of Nuclear Power Plant in India.

1990 First phase of protest was held for opposing the diversion of water from Pechiparai dam.

1998 Till 1998 the project of agreement was put on hold due to break up in Soviet.

2000 Construction of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant Started Before 2004 – Road has used as the mode of Transport for Reactors to be used in power plant.

2004 Small Port was been constructed for transportation and become operational in Koodankulam.

2007 MOU was signed between India and Russian to promote Nuclear Energy.

2008 The KNPP team decided to go for additional four reactors at the atomic station.

2009 The first schedule project will begin in December 2009. 2011 First schedule of operation begins in June. In the middle of March

2011 India has started the main stage of equipment tests at first nuclear power unit of Koodankulam under construction. The commissioned of Nuclear project will be on April 2011 Several protest from public towards KNPP. 2012 Second schedule plan of operation will be on March.

Conclusion:

Several protests by public and statement from central government and state political parties are being raised as an issue to find an opt solution. The government should be in a position to think about the situation of its people. There are several ways to generate power and the government should not build up these types of plants as it threatens the life of the people and creates disaster. Government should think about the people or else to depend on the electricity needed for the people.

To conclude, by understanding the importance of public and it safety the current communication gap and relationship with the power plant team and public can be highly reduced. Moreover with several campaigns and programs conducted in the public, knowledge about power plant its importance and safety measures can be highly conveyed and educated to the people will let both public and government us to have an end towards the issue. The role the committee plays a vital role in producing a decisive report which could satisfy all the stakeholders involved in the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant. The public can also realize the practicality of the project and it’s necessity for the state before blindly opposing it