India's Atomic Energy Regulatory Board on Thursday gave the Kudankulam nuclear plant project the go-ahead to remove dummy fuel from unit 1. The move by Indian regulators signifies one of the last steps before loading the uranium fuel now on site and beginning commercial operation.
The Times of India quoted a plant official as saying the dummy fuel removal and associated inspections will take seven to 10 days, clearing the way for power generation in another 25 days.
Once online, Kudankulam will be the country's largest nuclear plant, according to the World Nuclear Association, using two 950 megawatt VVER pressurized water reactors, each with nearly twice the power of the country's largest reactor currently in operation. The project initially called for the first unit to come online in 2008, and the second unit has been scheduled to come online 8 months after the first. Both are being built by Russia's Atomstroyexport. They were commissioned and will be operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.