TN power utility for refuelling at Kudankulam nuclear power plant in July instead of March

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Company (Tangedco) wants the refuelling at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) to take place in July instead of March.

The Tamil Nadu power utility will petition the Central power ministry regarding the same.

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) has allotted 1152 MW power for the state of Tamil Nadu per year. However, the Nuclear plant is shut down for two months from March leading to a shortage in power supply from the plant. In Tamil Nadu, March is a season of peak summer, and shutting down during this period leads to shortage of power for the state. This has led to the Tangedco officials taking this issue up with the higher authorities of Central power ministry who are in charge of the plant.

Meanwhile, the Southern Regional Power Committee (SRPC) meet will be held in Chennai on July 14. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telengana, and Puducherry will participate in the regional power committee meeting.

Sources in the Tangedco told IANS that the department would communicate with the Central power ministry on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) regarding the change of refuelling work from March to July and from next year onwards in the months of June and July. This is due to the fact that Tamil Nadu would like to have a relaxation in the peak summer by the month of June and July.

Notably, the Southern States accounted for all-time peak demand for power in the month of April 2022 with the demand shooting up to 60,876 MW. The installed capacity of Southern states has increased from 1,15,165 MW to 1,18,313 MW in a year.

Another factor that will be taken up by the Tangedco is the difficulty in transit power through power grid lines due to technical errors. The Tamil Nadu power utility will also apprise the Central power ministry officials of the loss it was facing due to payment for power grid transmission lines that were not used for service by the Tangedco.

An official with Tangedco told IANS that this was occurring with all the South Indian states and that stakeholders had taken up the matter with the Central government power grid but to no avail. Officials said that this is burning the pocket of these power utilities.

–IANS