Context:
India and Russia ink pacts on construction of future power units of Kudankulam nuclear power plant (KNPP).
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP):
- State – Tamil Nadu
- India’s largest nuclear power plant with the technical assistance of Russia.
- Two 1,000 megawatt (MW) units were constructed in phase one of the project.
- Expected to start operating at full capacity in 2027.
India’s Nuclear Power Program:
- 1st stage –
- Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) will be used to produce energy from natural uranium.
- They also produce fissile plutonium (Pu)-239.
- 2nd stage –
- Using Fast Breeder Reactors fueled by Pu-239 to produce energy and more of Pu-239.
- Here, the reactor produces more fissile material than it consumes.
- 3rd stage –
- Use of Pu-239 recovered from the second stage, in combination with thorium-232, to produce energy and U-233.
- U-233 would then be used as fuel.
Uranium:
- Natural uranium – a mixture largely of 2 isotopes –
- Uranium-238 (U-238) – 99.3%
- Uranium-235 (U-235) – 0.7%.
- Low Enriched Uranium –
- U-235 concentration between 0.711 percent and 20 percent
- Used for energy production.
- Highly Enriched Uranium –
- U-235 concentration greater than 20 percent
- Used in naval propulsion reactors, nuclear weapons, etc.
Download Nuclear Power Plants in India Map
Source: Indian Express
Previous Year Question
The function of heavy water in a nuclear reactor is to
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2011 Prelims]
(a) Slow down the speed of neutrons
(b) Increase the speed of neutrons
(c) Cool down the reactor
(d) Both (a) and (c)
Answer: (a)
