 "A policeman walks on a beach near Kudankulam nuclear power project (photo: Reuters)")
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin laid foundation for the third and fourth reactors of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) on Saturday, and dedicated the second 1,000 Mw unit to the nation. The leaders inaugurated the construction work through video conferencing from Goa, where both met on the sidelines of the BRICS Summit.
The Prime Minister said that the dedication of Kudankulum-2 and laying of foundation concrete of the third and fourth reactors are the tangible results of Indo-Russian cooperation in the field of civil nuclear energy.
"And, with proposed construction of another eight reactors, our wide-ranging cooperation in nuclear energy is set to bring rich dividends for both of us. It also fits in with our need for energy security, access to high technology and greater localisation and manufacturing in India," he added.
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Senior official from KNPP and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) were present in Kudankulam and took part in the concrete laying ceremony.
KNPP Site Director Sundar told reporters that the third unit will start operations in 69 months and the fourth unit will be operational in 75 months. While the entire equipment for the first two units came from overseas, sourcing from local industry would be almost 40% for the next two units, senior officials said.
The first unit of 1,000 Mw in KNPP went critical in July 2013 and was dedictated to the country by both the leaders on August 10, 2016. The second unit achieved criticality in July 2016 and commercial generation is expected in about six months since. Once the second unit starts operating at full capacity, the total atomic power availability in Tamil Nadu would go up to 2,440 Mw.
Units 3 and 4, with 2x1000 Mw capacity, are expected to come up at an investment of around Rs 39,747 crore. The site was found to have optimum potential for locating six units of 1,000 MW each by the site selection committee of the Government. The Government accorded 'in-principle' approval for setting up Units 5&6 in October 2009.
According to reports, India and Russia have also finalsed the general framework agreement and a credit protocol for Unit 5 and 6.
The first reaactor, running since December 31, 2014, has cumulatively generated about 7,994 million units (MUs) till August 2016. Power generation between April 2016 and August 2016 was 3,645 MUs, with 99 per cent capacity factor, according to Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), which is responsible for setting up and operating the plant.
However, local activists who oppose the project, questioned the speed at which the second unit has been dedicated, considering that it is yet to start commercial production. S P Udayakumar, who heads the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) that has been opposing the Kudankulam Nuclear plant, said that the Centre's decision to go ahead with the foundation laying of the next two units without representation from the State government, and at a time when Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa is in hospital, is to be condemned.
KNPP's original cost estimate for Units 1 and 2 was Rs 13,000 crore, but was raised to Rs 22,000 crore due to delay in commissioning the project. It may be recalled that the Indian Government signed a contract with the Soviet Union to build the plant in 1988. However, construction started only in 1997 due to political and economic upheaval in Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991.
The construction of the first two units was later halted in September 2011 following protests by villagers, who are mainly fishermen. Work at the plant finally resumed in March 2012, after the intervention of State Government and awareness creation drive taken by the KNPP for the villagers. The first unit started generating power on July 13, 2013.
