CHENNAI: With the construction of Away From Reactor (AFR ) facilities for Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant’s (KKNPP) units 1 and 2 in limbo, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) on Monday sought some relaxations before the Supreme Court for handling spent nuclear fuel.
Due to protests, the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board had to postpone indefinitely the public hearing regarding AFR facilities for units 1 and 2, without which environmental clearance from the Union environment ministry can’t be obtained. AFR facilities are critical for storing spent nuclear fuel.
The Supreme Court deadline to construct AFR facilities for units 1 and 2 ends this month. Now, NPCIL has sought an extension till 2026. It also asked for permission to use AFR facilities of units 3 and 4, for which clearance has been given, to store spent fuel from units 1 and 2. NPCIL said unit 1 can continue to operate at 100% capacity till November 2026, and unit 2 till July 2028, considering full capacity utilisation of the respective fuel pools.
Thereafter, operations would stop as per the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board procedures, if AFR facilities are not available. In this context, NPCIL has sought to use the AFR facilities of units 3 and 4, the construction of which is expected to begin soon. The work order was awarded to L&T on December 4, 2021.
‘AERB lethargic in handling issue’
“The construction will commence on a priority basis after approval of the construction consent application by AERB,” officials said. NPCIL told the SC fuel from units 1 to 6 of Kudankulam is similar, and accordingly, the AFR design is the same.
“Therefore, the spent fuel of units 1 and 2 can be stored in the AFR facility for units 3 and 4.” However, petitioner G Sundarrajan said: “The entire handling of the issue by the Department of Atomic Energy and AERB is lethargic. The State government should immediately intervene in the issue.” The case has been adjourned to the first week of May.