The department of atomic energy has set up a “storage pool/bay” to store spent nuclear fuel (SNF) within the reactor in the Kudankulam nuclear power plant (KKNPP) despite objections from the Tamil Nadu government, said Villupuram MP D Ravikumar.
The MP, while quoting the Union minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions Jitendra Singh’s written reply to his query in Lok Sabha and Prime Minister’s Office, said the department also established another facility located away from the reactor called ‘Away from Reactor’ (AFR) within the plant premises to store the spent fuel.
Singh had said in his reply that India has adopted a closed fuel cycle policy under which SNF is reprocessed to get fuel for the next stage of the programme.
“Thus, the SNF is proposed to be only temporarily stored in the AFR facility to be located within the plant premises, till it is sent to a reprocessing plant. The AFRs are already constructed and functional at other sites like Tarapur, Maharashtra, and Rawatbhata, Rajasthan,” said Singh.
The Union minister of state also said KKNPP 1 and 2 generated 14,536 million units of electricity in 2021-22, which is one per cent of the total share of electricity generated in the country. The KKNPP presently has two units each with 1,000MW capacity. The Union government has proposed to set up four more units each with 1,000MW capacity.
The MP, while quoting the Union minister of state for personnel, public grievances and pensions Jitendra Singh’s written reply to his query in Lok Sabha and Prime Minister’s Office, said the department also established another facility located away from the reactor called ‘Away from Reactor’ (AFR) within the plant premises to store the spent fuel.
Singh had said in his reply that India has adopted a closed fuel cycle policy under which SNF is reprocessed to get fuel for the next stage of the programme.
“Thus, the SNF is proposed to be only temporarily stored in the AFR facility to be located within the plant premises, till it is sent to a reprocessing plant. The AFRs are already constructed and functional at other sites like Tarapur, Maharashtra, and Rawatbhata, Rajasthan,” said Singh.
The Union minister of state also said KKNPP 1 and 2 generated 14,536 million units of electricity in 2021-22, which is one per cent of the total share of electricity generated in the country. The KKNPP presently has two units each with 1,000MW capacity. The Union government has proposed to set up four more units each with 1,000MW capacity.