Shutdown of Unit-1 at Kalpakkam atomic plant worries power utilities

The Unit-1 of Madras Atomic Power Station has been shut since 2018; Tantransco says loss of generation is causing supply issues in south Chennai; Tangedco had written to NPCIL in April.

Tamil Nadu power utilities have voiced concern over the shutdown of Unit-1 of Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) at Kalpakkam since 2018. They have sought the probable date for it to resume operation.

In a letter to the Southern Regional Power Committee (SRPC), Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited (Tantransco) said Unit-1 had remained shut since January 18, 2018, because of the issues in the reactor. It also pointed out that loss of generation in Unit-1 was causing constraints in the system in the south Chennai areas.

Tantransco demanded that the biennial shutdown of the unit be programmed before January 2023 or after August 2023 so as to keep the electricity network stable.

In a separate communication to SRPC, Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) said it was not known when Unit-1, which has a capacity of 220 MW, would be brought back to service.

Tangedco, which has a 75% share of power from the installed capacity of 440 MW of both units of MAPS, said that in the absence of any information about when Unit-1 would resume operation, it was considering full generation from MAPS while forecasting its load generation balance.

It also pointed out in April this year, it had written to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited, which responded that Unit-1 was suffering technical issues and unlikely to come online during 2022-23.