India test runs controversial Kudankulam nuclear reactor

Start-up delayed for six years. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd., the nation’s sole atomic energy producer, has test-started the first unit of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. The reactor was operated for two hours at a capacity of 175 megawatts. Station director Hari Narayan Sahu said the unit should run at half its capacity by Oct. 26 and reach its maximum output of 1,000 MW in six weeks while the second reactor should start in a year. Public rallies against Kudankulam are directed against the first two reactors, both of which are not covered by any liability law. The Kudankulam reactor is the result of a bilateral agreement between India and Russia signed before the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act became a law in 2010. The law makes atomic plant suppliers and builders liable in the event of nuclear accidents.