Skip to main content

Koodankulam N-plant: "Discredited" Russian technology, "shoddy, substandard" equipment behind snag

NMANE-sponsored boat rally against  N-plant
By Our Representative
The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), a voluntary organization campaigning against the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu, has blamed the “discredited Russian companies such as the Zio-Podolsk, InformTech and Ishorsky Zavody” for supplying “shoddy and substandard equipment and parts in a non-sequential manner”, which, it suggested, was the main reason behind a recent snag leading to tripping of one of the generators on January 14.
Worse, the NGO said, KKNPP “was not planned and built like a world-class nuclear power plant but as a municipal crematorium with so much adhocism and so many unqualified and corrupt contractors and subcontractors. To make matters even worse, the Indian nuclear authorities fiddled with the reactor and other safety components allegedly for providing additional safety.”
While allegations of financial irregularities in all these purchases and procurements running high, PMANE said, KKNPP took “almost 18 months to begin commercial power generation from the First Approach to Criticality (FAC), but it took “hardly 18 days to develop a major snag and come to a complete shutdown”. Citing reports, it said, “The reactor and the turbine at KKNPP Unit 1 stopped themselves due to technical problems in the switch yard.”
Giving details, the PMANE said, “The Southern Regional Load Despatch Centre (SRLDC) first mentioned “TRIPPED WHILE CHARGING GT#2 OF KKNP” as the reason for outage in its website that had happened on January 14, 2015 at 19:20:00 pm. While the Koodankulam authorities maintained that ‘nothing happened to the turbine or to the core’, the SRLDC announced the next day that “REACTOR & TURBINE GENERATOR TRIPPED’.”
PMANE said, “A shadow boxing between the Russians and the Indians has been going on all along. Even as the technical tussle went on behind the screen from the very beginning of the Koodankulam project, the bilateral political and diplomatic hand-wrenching was taking place for more reactor sales.”
“The erstwhile Manmohan Singh government, some Congress party leaders and some officials of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) together were hiding many perilous skeletons in the corrupt atomic energy closets”, it alleged, adding, it is highly doubtful if the Modi government, which had promised a probe, will ever go ahead.
“Being a status-quoist government run by a crony capitalist party that is propped up by a bomb-loving parivar, the Modi sarkar would never order an inquiry into the Koodankulam project”, PMANE said, adding, “They are desperately trying to hide all the commissions and the omissions of the establishmentarians and to protect the corrupt and inefficient folks in the broader interests of national security, financial security, energy security, military security and the like.”
In its press statement, the NGO said, “The allegedly best and the most perfect reactor in the whole wide world, certified repeatedly by Dr Abdul Kalam, Alexander Kadakin, Vladimir Putin and a whole array of others is heading in a dangerous direction.” It wonders whether it is “pertinent to consider the colossal time overrun of some six years in making the first reactor go critical and in commissioning it. The Koodankulam authorities have been on a diesel buying spree from then on and have spent a whopping sum of some Rs 35 crore on it so far.”

Comments

TRENDING

Adani coalmine delayed? Australian senate fails to pass crucial "reform" amendment for project's financial closure

Adanis' Mundra power plant, controversial in Australia By  A  Representative In what is being described as a new “new hurdle”, the proposed Adani coalmine in the Queensland state of in Australia failed to get the crucial Australian Parliamentary nod, essential for financial closure for one of the biggest coalmining projects in the world. The government lost the Senate vote 35-33, meaning the legislation won't pass until the Senate returns in mid-June.

Aurangzeb’s last will recorded by his Maulvi: Allah shouldn't make anyone emperor

By Mohan Guruswamy  Aurangzeb’s grave is a simple slab open to the sky lying along the roadside at Khuldabad near Aurangabad. I once stopped by to marvel at the tomb of an Emperor of India whose empire was as large as Ashoka the Great's. It was only post 1857 when Victoria's domain exceeded this. The epitaph reads: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast." (The rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave) The modest tomb of Aurangzeb is perhaps the least recognised legacies of the Mughal Emperor who ruled the land for fifty eventful years. He was not a builder having expended his long tenure in war and conquest. Towards the end of his reign and life, he realised the futility of it all. He wrote: "Allah should not make anyone an emperor. The most unfortunate person is he who becomes one." Aurangzeb’s last will was re...

Beyond his riding skill, Karl Umrigar was admired for his radiance, sportsmanship, and affability

By Harsh Thakor*  Karl Umrigar's name remains etched in the annals of Indian horse racing, a testament to a talent tragically cut short. An accident on the racetrack at the tender age of nineteen robbed India of a rider on the cusp of greatness. Had he survived, there's little doubt he would have ascended to international stature, possibly becoming the greatest Indian jockey ever. Even 46 years after his death, his name shines brightly, reminiscent of an inextinguishable star. His cousin, Pesi Shroff, himself blossomed into one of the most celebrated jockeys in Indian horse racing.

Haven't done a good deed, inner soul is cursing me as sinner: Aurangzeb's last 'will'

Counterview Desk The Tomb of Aurangzeb, the last of the strong Mughal emperors, located in Khuldabad, Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, has this epitaph inscribed on it: "Az tila o nuqreh gar saazand gumbad aghniyaa! Bar mazaar e maa ghareebaan gumbad e gardun bas ast" (the rich may well construct domes of gold and silver on their graves. For the poor folks like me, the sky is enough to shelter my grave).

Trust, we (from People to PM and President) did not take a Holy Dip in some Holy Shit!

By Dr Mansee Bal Bhargava  I could see two deeply interlinked aspects between human and water in #MahaKumbh2025. Firstly, the HOPE that a ‘holy dip’ in the River Ganga (colloquially referred as dubki and spiritually as ‘Snan’) will cleanse oneself (especially the sins); and secondly, the TRUST that the water is pure to perform the cleansing alias living the hope. Well, I consider hope to be self-dependent while, trust is a multi-party dependent situation. The focus here is on the trust and I shall write later on hope.

Hyderabad seminar rekindles memories of the spark lit 50 years ago by students

By Harsh Thakor*  History is something we constantly remember and reflect upon, but certain moments and events bring it back to our memory in a special way. For the Telugu people, and Telangana in particular, the memorial seminar held on February 20–21 was a significant occasion to recall the glorious events, transformations, leaders, and heroes of past struggles. Thousands of students rewrote the history of people's movements in Andhra Pradesh, carrying revolutionary zeal and the spirit of self-sacrifice to levels comparable to the Russian and Chinese Revolutions.

Vadodara citizens urge authorities to adhere to environmental mandates in Vishwamitri River Rejuvenation Project

By A Representative   A coalition of environmental activists, ecologists, and urban planners in Vadodara has issued an urgent appeal to state and municipal authorities, demanding strict compliance with court-mandated guidelines for the upcoming Vishwamitri River rejuvenation project. Scheduled to commence in March 2025, the initiative aims to mitigate flooding and restore the river, but citizens warn that current plans risk violating National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders and jeopardizing the river’s fragile ecosystem, home to endangered species like crocodiles and Indian Softshell Turtles.  

Buddhist communities in Michigan protest for Mahabodhi Temple’s return to Buddhist control

By A Representative   Buddhist communities in Michigan have staged protests demanding the return of the Mahabodhi Vihara in Gaya, Bihar, India, to full Buddhist control. The Mahabodhi Temple, regarded as the holiest pilgrimage site in Buddhism, is currently managed under the Bodhgaya Temple Act of 1949, which grants a majority of control to non-Buddhists.

How the slogan Jai Bhim gained momentum as movement of popularity and revolution

By Dr Kapilendra Das*  India is an incomprehensible plural country loaded with diversities of religions, castes, cultures, languages, dialects, tribes, societies, costumes, etc. The Indians have good manners/etiquette (decent social conduct, gesture, courtesy, politeness) that build healthy relationships and take them ahead to life. In many parts of India, in many situations, and on formal occasions, it is common for people of India to express and exchange respect, greetings, and salutation for which we people usually use words and phrases like- Namaskar, Namaste, Pranam, Ram Ram, Jai Ram ji, Jai Sriram, Good morning, shubha sakal, Radhe Radhe, Jai Bajarangabali, Jai Gopal, Jai Jai, Supravat, Good night, Shuvaratri, Jai Bhole, Salaam walekam, Walekam salaam, Radhaswami, Namo Buddhaya, Jai Bhim, Hello, and so on. A soft attitude always creates strong relationships. A relationship should not depend only on spoken words. They should rely on understanding the unspoken feeling too. So w...

A Communist leader, an advocate for unity, against opportunism and sectarianism

By Harsh Thakor*  Dhurva Narayan, a prominent leader from Bihar and a Central Committee member of the former PCC, CPI (ML) as well as the newly merged CPI (ML)-MassLine, passed away on February 12, 2025. He was an influential figure in the Indian Communist revolutionary movement for over five decades, known for his role in opposing Hindutva politics and globalization. Narayan was committed to fostering unity within Communist ranks and advocating against opportunism and sectarianism.