POWER August 2013 - 10

Indian VVER Reactors Ready for Startup
Two VVER-1000 reactors built and designed by Russian state firm
Atomstroyexport under a $3 billion contract are slated to be commissioned
this summer in the State of Tamil Nadu in India. The
start of India's largest reactors at the Kundankulam site have
been long delayed: Though they were completed just before the
Fukushima crisis in March 2011, startup has been stunted by
strong opposition as well as technical issues discovered during
commissioning (Figure 1).
India's government, which owns and operates all of the country's
20 operating reactors through state agency Nuclear Power
Corp. of India (NPCIL) approved construction of the two reactors
in 1989. The reactors were not fully planned until 2006. Commissioning
work at Unit 1 was delayed earlier this year by the
replacement of four valves in the passive core cooling system.
Two judges at India's Supreme Court in May, meanwhile, dismissed
protests against the reactors, ruling in favor of NPCIL and
the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). The case brought by
anti-nuclear activists alleged NPCIL, AERB, and the Tamil Nadu
Pollution Control Board had violated several safety norms. The
high court concluded, however, that Kundankulam was needed
for the country's economic growth. In its detailed 247-page ruling,
it said NPCIL had met all safety requirements stipulated by
AERB and based on nationally and internationally recognized
safety standards.
For three decades, India was excluded from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation
Treaty and was subject to a subsequent 1974 trade embargo
for acquiring nuclear weapons capability. During this time, India
cultivated a robust, largely indigenous nuclear power program and a
unique nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium. With the
exception of two boiling water reactors, all 20 reactors are midsize
or small pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs), and most are
domestically built, based on a Canadian design.
Today, nuclear power supplies about 3.7% of India's electricity.
Experts note that crippling coal shortages are driving up investment
in nuclear power. Government targets foresee up to 14,600
MWe of new nuclear power by 2020-2021 and 27,500 MWe by 2032.
1. Indian giant. Two VVER-1000 reactors whose construction was
largely completed in 2011 at the Kundankulam site in the Indian state
of Tamil Nadu have been awaiting commissioning, delayed by protests
and technical issues. Courtesy: NPCIL
By 2060, the Atomic Energy Commission envisions about 500 GWe
will be put online, providing half the nation's electricity.
Documentation Scandal Strains South
Korea's Power Supplies
South Korea, the world's fourth-largest producer of nuclear power,
in June warned of " unprecedented " power shortages this summer
after it shut down two reactors due to faulty safety equipment
and delayed the start of operations of another last month.
The country's Energy Ministry last November ordered the shutdown
of two nuclear reactors at the Yeonggwang nuclear complex
owned by state company Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co.
(KHNP), a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Co. (KEPCO), which
operates the nation's 23 nuclear reactors. The measure followed
KHNP's admission that eight unnamed firms that supplied parts
had faked 60 certificates covering 7,682 nuclear power components
over a period of nearly 10 years, from 2003 to 2012-affecting
at least five reactors. Besides Yeonggwang Units 5 and
6, suspect parts were also installed at Hanbit Units 3 and 4 and
Hanul (Ulchin) Unit 3. The Hanbit units were taken offline for
part replacement.
Components used in South Korea's 23 reactors, which provide
about 35% of its power needs, require quality and safety warranties
from one of 12 international organizations recognized by the
country's government. The Yeonggwang incident prompted South
Korea's Nuclear Safety and Security Commission (NSSC) to expand
its investigation into forged safety certificates and reactor components
for all 23 of the nation's reactors, as well as five others
under construction.
Then in May, KHNP found safety-related control cabling with
forged documentation in four other reactors, prompting the NSSC
to force shutdown of Shin-Kori No. 2 (Figure 2) and Shin-Wolsong
No. 1 reactors-both commissioned in July 2012-for about four
2. Sidestepping safety rules. The South Korean government
warned of unprecedented power shortages this May after it was forced
to halt operation of two 2012-completed nuclear reactors-putting
more than half its nuclear fleet offline. Shin-Kori No. 2 (shown here)
and Shin-Wolsong No. 1. are expected to resume operations within at
least four months, after replacing safety-related control cabling with
forged documentation. Courtesy: KHNP
10
www.powermag.com
POWER | August 2013
http://www.powermag.com
POWER August 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of POWER August 2013
