No boiler blast at Kudankulam: Nuclear Power Corp.

Chennai, May 7 (IANS) The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) Monday termed as baseless that a boiler had burst at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) as work on starting the first 1,000 MW reactor is progressing at a hectic pace.

"There is a rumour spread by some miscreants that there is a blast in KNPP. This is absolute false and KNPP totally denies this rumours," site director R.S.Sundar told IANS when queried about a circulating SMS about a blast in KNPP.

According to Sundar, the auxiliary boiler was operated after a long gap and there was nothing more than that.

Another official told IANS that the auxiliary boiler was operated Monday after a gap of seven months with the necessary permission from the boiler inspector. The boiler is away from the reactor systems and the steam from this boiler will be used to flush other systems.

India's atomic power plant operator NPCIL is building two 1,000 MW reactors at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district, around 650 km from here.

Work is going at a hectic pace at Kundankulam to start the first unit soon as the project activities got delayed for more than six months due to protests by villagers.