India's largest nuclear reactor shut down for maintenance
What's the story
India's Kudankulam nuclear reactor, the largest in the country, has been shut down for scheduled maintenance, potentially driving up power prices in southern regions. The 1,000 megawatt (MW) Unit 1 was shut down on August 3 and will remain offline for 65 days. The Central Electricity Authority confirmed the shutdown in a report dated August 7.
Power concerns
Emergency power procurement
The shutdown has raised concerns of worsening peak-hour electricity shortages in southern states. Kerala State Electricity Board Ltd (KSEBL) filed a petition with the state's electricity regulator, citing fears of increased short-term power procurement costs due to the outage. The utility was forced to procure 300MW of peak-hour power at rates as high as ₹9.18 per unit of electricity during this period.
Tariff concerns
Concerns over high tariffs
The emergency procurement was approved by Kerala's electricity regulator; however, it raised concerns over the high tariffs. KSEBL said that "the projected peak-hour deficit of around 600MW may worsen due to the scheduled refueling outage of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant." Despite these challenges, Unit 2 at Kudankulam is operating normally.
Capacity goals
Nuclear energy expansion in India
India is looking to expand its nuclear capacity to at least 100 gigawatts (GW) by 2047 from the current capacity of about 9GW. The shutdown of Unit 1 at Kudankulam highlights the challenges in meeting power demand while undergoing maintenance activities. The situation underscores the need for strategic planning and resource management to ensure a stable power supply during such outages.