The commissioning of the first phase of the 9,900-Mw Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra is likely to be delayed by a year, since the developer, Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC), would first have to upgrade and strengthen the safety applications in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.
The first evolutionary pressurised reactor (EPR) of 1,650 Mw would be operational in 2018-19 instead of the originally planned 2017-18. French nuclear energy firm Areva was asked by the country’s nuclear safety regulatory authority ASN to conduct a safety audit after the Fukushima disaster. The audit is expected to be completes by September.
NPC and Areva had signed the General Framework Agreement and the Early Work Agreement in December last year. The two had missed the deadline for signing the final work contract in June due to the audit directed by the French regulator. Maharashtra energy minister Ajit Pawar and NPC's Jaitapur nuclear project director C B Jain told Business Standard the revised schedule for the commissioning of the first EPR was 2018-19. The two were speaking after a two-hour debate on the Jaitapur project in the state council. Jain said the second EPR of 1,650 Mw would be commissioned in 2019-20.
Areva had initially agreed to supply two EPRs of 1,650 Mw each, four additional EPRs to be supplied later. However, because of the proposed delay, the project is expected to be completed with a total installed capacity of 9,900 Mw by 2032-33. After the Ministry of Environment and Forests gave its approval in November, NPC and the state government had estimated the completion of the first phase by 2017-18.
Pawar had strongly defended the Jaitapur project, had and countered the opposition's claim of it being harmful for the region, the state and the country as a whole. "The project site has been selected after various experts and leading agencies carried out comprehensive studies, taking into account the history of the site, especially with regard to incidents of earthquakes in the last 300 years. After the Fukushima accident, necessary measures are being taken to upgrade the safety applications at the proposed nuclear plant," he said, adding the proposed investment of Rs 1 lakh crore would drastically transform the region and this would not impact the environment.
Jain said NPC-appointed task forces had already carried out detailed studies on safety and had also suggested various steps to be carried out. "They will need to further strengthen and upgrade safety applications and this will need additional investment. However, it will not be possible to give estimates at this juncture. The committee appointed by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board is expected to submit its report and Areva is yet to complete the audit of the EPR and its existing plant directed by the French nuclear regulator," he said. He added NPC was committed to supplying power at competitive tariffs and added upgradation of safety measures would not, in any way, affect NPC's objective.
Earlier, Pawar told the state council the government would soon give its approval for the revised rehabilitation package being offered by NPC. He informed NPC proposed to pay Rs 2 crore per village for civic amenities and Rs 25 lakh annually for its maintenance. NPC would also provide jobs to qualified people from families affected by the project and Rs 5 lakh to those who did not meet the job criteria.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan said the state government would provide the necessary assistance to NPC for the development of the Jaitapur project. He added the project was necessary, especially in the wake of rising power demand in the state.