Unit 1 of India's Kakrapar Atomic Power Station (KAPS) in Gujarat, which was shut down in March following a leak of radioactive water, may remain closed for 3-8 according to sources at Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), cited in Indian media reports. A senior Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) official said the plant may take around 7-8 months to become fully operational. KAPS 1, an indigenously built pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR), was commissioned on May 6 1993 with a capacity of 220MWe. On 11 March a leak was detected from its coolant system and it has since been in "cold shut-down". AERB Secretary S Harikumar said the leak has already been stopped and "all systems are normalised". An investigation is underway. NPCIL said the investigation may take another two months. This involves non-destructive testing and send samples and data to the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) for testing. "At every stage we have to secure permission from the AERB", NPCIL said. "However, we are also using this as an opportunity to do plant maintenance which was due."
