Kaiga Generating Station's third unit shut down

The third unit of the Kaiga Generating Station (KGS) was shut down two days ago but the officials kept it under wraps. However, KGS sources confirmed on Friday that the third unit shut down on Tuesday due to a ‘technical’ glitch.

Sources said the unit will begin functioning on Sunday. On April 8, the unit was shut down due to a fire in the control room of the same unit. Then too, it was kept under wraps.

It took the deputy commissioner— who is also the KGS offsite director—visit to the station for the authorities to admit there was an incident.

The second time when the third unit shut down was on June 19.
The officials hushed up the matter till June 30. On this occasion, they cited bi-annual maintenanceas the reason. A few days later, director of the third and fourth units, Jagadish Velloori, was transferred.

The KGS had been under a cloud of suspicion right since the dome collapse of the first unit during its construction, tritium theft in 2009, disappearance of two officials and a fire in the control room.

BV Rao, an anti-nuclear activist, told DNA: “We are now suspicious about the KGS and its management. They cannot hide facts from the public. In the case of a nuclear emergency, the public is at risk and every piece of information regarding operational problems should be passed on to the public.”

Experts said there could have been a shortage of fuel in the third unit.