Kudankulum, Tamil Nadu:
India's latest and largest nuclear reactor is being made at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. NDTV is the first channel to report from inside the reactor.
The country is working on reducing its carbon footprint through use of nuclear energy.
Made with Russian help, and located at the very tip of India close to Kanya Kumari, this new project will help India make gigantic leaps in using nuclear energy to reduce its carbon footprint.
NDTV's Science Editor, Pallava Bagla, travelled inside the highly-guarded facility to talk to M K Balaji, the chief of country's most modern atomic reactor.
NDTV: What is the state of readiness of the atomic reactor?
M K Balaji: Unit number is almost ready with 96% work completed, with small amount of cabling work still remaining. Other commissioning activity is going on.
NDTV: When can one expect electricity to flow out from the Nuclear power plant?
M K Balaji: We are targeting to start uranium fuel loading sometime in June. That's an ambitious target because this is a first-of-its-kind reactor that we have constructed and commissioned in this country, the 1000 MW VVER reactor of a different technology. It is a pressurized water reactor and we have assimilated the technology and have set a target of middle of June to do that actually; may be this year we are targeting to make the electricity to flow from here to the grid.
NDTV: People are always worried about nuclear electricity not being safe, now what have you done to ensure safety and security so that the environment does not get contaminated?
M K Balaji: I am saying nuclear energy is always safe, and especially when I talk of my Kudankulam plant, it is state-of-art and most safest reactor in the world... you can always say that..which has got lot of safety features. You are saying the containment... the containment is safe which contains the reactor and we have provided lot of redundant safety features into the reactor like maintaining the reactor in most cold condition. We have a lot of trained people.
The reactor is safely-designed, safely-constructed, safely-commissioned, and is going to be safely-operated by the Indian people. I am sure that people need not have any fear that the reactor is unsafe. Reactor will always be safely producing electricity for the public for years to come.
The country is working on reducing its carbon footprint through use of nuclear energy.
Made with Russian help, and located at the very tip of India close to Kanya Kumari, this new project will help India make gigantic leaps in using nuclear energy to reduce its carbon footprint.
NDTV's Science Editor, Pallava Bagla, travelled inside the highly-guarded facility to talk to M K Balaji, the chief of country's most modern atomic reactor.
NDTV: What is the state of readiness of the atomic reactor?
M K Balaji: Unit number is almost ready with 96% work completed, with small amount of cabling work still remaining. Other commissioning activity is going on.
NDTV: When can one expect electricity to flow out from the Nuclear power plant?
M K Balaji: We are targeting to start uranium fuel loading sometime in June. That's an ambitious target because this is a first-of-its-kind reactor that we have constructed and commissioned in this country, the 1000 MW VVER reactor of a different technology. It is a pressurized water reactor and we have assimilated the technology and have set a target of middle of June to do that actually; may be this year we are targeting to make the electricity to flow from here to the grid.
NDTV: People are always worried about nuclear electricity not being safe, now what have you done to ensure safety and security so that the environment does not get contaminated?
M K Balaji: I am saying nuclear energy is always safe, and especially when I talk of my Kudankulam plant, it is state-of-art and most safest reactor in the world... you can always say that..which has got lot of safety features. You are saying the containment... the containment is safe which contains the reactor and we have provided lot of redundant safety features into the reactor like maintaining the reactor in most cold condition. We have a lot of trained people.
The reactor is safely-designed, safely-constructed, safely-commissioned, and is going to be safely-operated by the Indian people. I am sure that people need not have any fear that the reactor is unsafe. Reactor will always be safely producing electricity for the public for years to come.
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