The southern States have flagged the issue of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) undertaking a refuelling shutdown during the high power demand season (February to April), thereby affecting their power balance.
In a recent letter to the Union Ministry of Power, D. Prabhakar Rao, Chairman and Managing Director of the Southern Regional Power Committee (SRPC), pointed out that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) had a total installed capacity of 3,320 MW in the southern region, including two 1,000 MW units at KKNPP. He requested that the refuelling of the units be undertaken during the non-peak period of June to December every year.
In its response, the NPCIL pointed out that the KKNPP units can be operated for a defined full power days, after which the reactor has to be shut down for refuelling. The average refuelling cycle with the current type of fuel is 300 full power days.
