Two more N-power plants likely in Kudankulam

Two more units of 1,000 megawatts each are likely to be put up at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power project near Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, a top official said Tuesday. The two new units are in addition to the two plants of 1,000 MW each, one of which is nearing completion and is expected to be commissioned in 2006. The second unit is expected to be ready by 2008, Executive Director, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, S K Agrawal told newsmen in Chennai.

The Centre has already given site clearance for the two new proposed plants and once the environmental clearance is obtained from Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board, the work will commence, he said. KNPP had enough land available with it to put up six plants of 1,000 MW each.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has already said he wanted all the nuclear power plants in the country to produce 40,000 MW within the next 10 years."It is a very big task. Tamil Nadu government has already told us it needs more power. However, when the two plants under construction get ready, major share of power will go to Tamil Nadu and the balance to other southern states," he said. Action is being taken for obtaining environmental clearance.

"We are going to take the environmental clearance again even for the two units under construction. Application is getting ready for this and in a day or two, we will be sending it to TNPCB," he said.

Agrawal said two 1,000 MW power plants each are already coming up at Jagadapur in Maharashtra, two more plants of 700 MW capacity are proposed to be set up in Gujarat. Two units of the same capacity were already in operation there.

Besides these, two plants of 700 MW each were coming up at Kota, Rajasthan, he said. On the KNPP, which is a light water reactor using natural uranium as fuel, he said civil works on one of the plants were almost complete. The site was now filled with equipment to be used for generating power, and installation work had already begun.

All the 15 plants in the country, which were cumulatively producing 3,371 MW power, were complying with IAEA safeguards. "All our nuclear power plants are opened to peer review by international experts and even the US has reviewed them.

Every grain of fuel, from the sources to usage has been accounted for so that everybody knows where the fuel was used and what is its status," he said in answer to a question. To another question, Agrawal said many countries are now envincing keen interest in generating power using nuclear energy.

"Finland is already looking at this, while China has chalked out a programme for the generation of 30,000 MW using nuclear energy." The mini port at Kudankulam has complied with international Ship safety regulation and is registered with Indian Director General of Shipping, he said.

Earlier, Anna University Vice-Chancellor Dr D Viswanathan inaugurated a photo exhibition on the occasion of "Professional Day of Russian Energy Industry".