Reactor pressure vessel pre-service inspections began Saturday at India's Kudankulam unit 1—one of the final steps before fuel loading.
Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd. is close to completing the first two units at the plant in Tamil Nadu state. According to the World Nuclear Association, Russia's Atomstroyexport is building two VVER-1000
reactors and will supply their fuel. The first reactor was scheduled to come online in 2008 but was delayed, most recently by public protests. The state government granted approval for the plant's commissioning in March.
The RPV inspection will take 10 to 12 days, India's Economic Times newspaper quoted NPCIL as saying. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board will review the resulting report before granting permission for fuel loading. An NPCIL executive said he expects that to take place by the end of the month. Work on the second unit is estimated to be eight months behind the first.
The inspection will also validate a remotely controlled machine that will conduct RPV inspections in the future, once operation makes parts of the RPV inaccessible.