The first nuclear reactor of the `17,000-crore country’s 21st nuclear power plant in Kudankulam, which attained criticality on Saturday night, is functioning smoothly on Sunday and all the parameters are normal, a top official said.
“At 2305 hrs (Saturday night), the first nuclear reactor attained criticality (also known as atomic chain reaction) and all the parameters are normal. Sustained nuclear chain reaction has been achieved. Everything is normal,” Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant site director R.S. Sundar said.
Overcoming a series of protests and legal hurdles that delayed the commissioning of the plant, the 1,000-mw pressurised water reactor finally attained criticality, prompting the nuclear establishment to rejoice the “red letter day”.
The Boron dilution process, witnessed by the top guns of Indian and Russian nuclear establishments, signalled the end of an agonising wait for scientists who could finally heave a sigh of relief as much as the people of the state affected by a near 4,000-mw demand-supply gap. “Great achievement... It is a historic moment every Indian (has) to be proud of... A red-letter day indeed,” said Bhabha Atomic Research Centre senior scientist and technical coordinator, central expert group on KKNPP, J. Daniel Chellappa.
The criticality milestone was achieved at 11.05 pm after the “Boron dilution process” allowed neutron concentration to go up and start nuclear fission, generating heat.
Experts from Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, Russian Kursatov Institute of Atomic energy, and Atomic Energy Regulatory Board observers monitored the process.