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AERB starts safety reviews of Russian reactors at Kudankulam
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has begun the safety review of the two 1000 MW Russian light water reactors to be installed at the country`s first 2000 MW capacity nuclear power station to be set up at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between India and Russia.
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has begun the safety review of the two 1000 MW Russian light water reactors to be installed at the country's first 2000 MW capacity nuclear power station to be set up at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu under a Memorandum of Understanding signed between India and Russia.
The board has established comprehensive mechanisms to carry out the safety review of the two VVER-1000 reactors. A fifteen member project safety review advisory committee has been set up and it is being assisted in the exercise by a coordination group of officers drawn from the board's secretariat.
The MoU was signed during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Russia.
The advisory committee is chaired by S.K. Mehta, formerly director, reactor group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and includes one specialist each from the ministry of environment and forests, central electricity authority and Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. The advisory committee and coordination group meet almost every week-- 36 meetings held till November two --to review the documents submitted by nuclear power corporation. The advisory committee will identify the inspections, verifications and hold points to ensure safety in the design, construction and operational phases of the project. The committee will advise the board on the procedures and modalities to conduct such inspections and verifications, AERB Secretary K S Parthasarathy said on Wednesday.
Parthasarathy said the board will ensure that these reactors comply with all the regulatory requirements stipulated by the AERB. The board will take into account the evaluations done by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international agencies on these and other light water reactors in its safety assessments. A delegation of senior AERB officers led by Mehta visited Balakova Nulcear Power Plant of similar design operating in Russia and the principal design institutes in Russia to gain an insight into the design of the reactors and their safety performances, he said.
The AERB will issue authorisation at various stages such as construction, commissioning and operating of the reactors after in-depth reviews. In the last board meeting held on October five, the senior offers of Nuclear Power Corporation made a presentation on the safety features of the reactors. The board issued excavation clearance to NPCIL to start work at the Kudankulam site.
The VVER reactors offered by Russia for the Kudankulam project have a double containment with the interspace maintained at negative presssure to reduce radioactive releases significantly. The inner containment is made up of one metre thick pre-stressed concrete having eight mm thick steel lining on the inside. The vented containment ensures that the pressure inside will not build up in the most unlikely event of a reactor accident. The heat removal system of this reactor is passive. It has a large number of control rods and is provided with a fast acting shut-down system and quick boron injection system. Other design features include hydrogen recombiners and state-of-the-art instrumentation and control systems. Reactor protective systems are redundant and diverse and are segregated to ensure high reliability. The VVER reactor is an advanced light water reactor whose design is at par with the family of pressurised water reactors developed in western countries.
Bureau Report
The MoU was signed during Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's visit to Russia.
The advisory committee is chaired by S.K. Mehta, formerly director, reactor group, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) and includes one specialist each from the ministry of environment and forests, central electricity authority and Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai. The advisory committee and coordination group meet almost every week-- 36 meetings held till November two --to review the documents submitted by nuclear power corporation. The advisory committee will identify the inspections, verifications and hold points to ensure safety in the design, construction and operational phases of the project. The committee will advise the board on the procedures and modalities to conduct such inspections and verifications, AERB Secretary K S Parthasarathy said on Wednesday.
Parthasarathy said the board will ensure that these reactors comply with all the regulatory requirements stipulated by the AERB. The board will take into account the evaluations done by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and other international agencies on these and other light water reactors in its safety assessments. A delegation of senior AERB officers led by Mehta visited Balakova Nulcear Power Plant of similar design operating in Russia and the principal design institutes in Russia to gain an insight into the design of the reactors and their safety performances, he said.
The AERB will issue authorisation at various stages such as construction, commissioning and operating of the reactors after in-depth reviews. In the last board meeting held on October five, the senior offers of Nuclear Power Corporation made a presentation on the safety features of the reactors. The board issued excavation clearance to NPCIL to start work at the Kudankulam site.
The VVER reactors offered by Russia for the Kudankulam project have a double containment with the interspace maintained at negative presssure to reduce radioactive releases significantly. The inner containment is made up of one metre thick pre-stressed concrete having eight mm thick steel lining on the inside. The vented containment ensures that the pressure inside will not build up in the most unlikely event of a reactor accident. The heat removal system of this reactor is passive. It has a large number of control rods and is provided with a fast acting shut-down system and quick boron injection system. Other design features include hydrogen recombiners and state-of-the-art instrumentation and control systems. Reactor protective systems are redundant and diverse and are segregated to ensure high reliability. The VVER reactor is an advanced light water reactor whose design is at par with the family of pressurised water reactors developed in western countries.
Bureau Report