The second unit of 1,000 MW of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant would attain its full power generation capacity by the end of August and would also be linked to the main grid by this month end, a top KNPP official said here today.
KNPP director R S Sundar said trial run of the unit is at present on and is generating about 230 to 300 MW.
Once operational by August end, Tamil Nadu would get 562 MW and Telengana 50 MW from the second unit, he said.
"The excavation for the third and fourth units is going on and the construction will begin soon," he said.
Sundar said feasibility studies were being done on the fifth and sixth units and agreements would soon be signed.
All units would go on stream by 2022-23, he said.
Sundar was speaking to reporters after addressing a seminar organised by Public Information Bureau on KNPP's infrastructure.
At the seminar, Sundar claimed the Indo-Russian project had all safety aspects and there was no threat to the environment or marine life.
Nuclear power generation was consistent and dependable than even wind and solar energy, he added.
KNPP had been set up using the Russian VVER type reactors based on enriched uranium. The completion of the first unit was delayed in view of strident protests by local people, who raised safety concerns, before it became operational.
The Pressurised Water Reactor VVER-1000 had gone critical in July 2014 and commercial operations started from December 31 the same year.
"Unlike the piece meal bargain done during the Kudankulam
Nuclear Power Projects (KNNPP), DAE will negotiate for six reactors at Kavali. This will help us to get a good deal in the cost," said a senior government official.
Russia has built two VVER reactors in Kudankulam, each with a capacity of 1000 MW. Unit 3 and 4 are under construction, while the General Framework Agreement (GFA) for unit 5 and 6 is expected to be signed soon.
In reference to Kavali in AP, the proposed site of a nuclear power park earmarked for Russians, some section of locals have expressed apprehensions about safety of the nuclear power plants and loss of traditional means of livelihood.
The DAE is carrying out an extensive public outreach programme to spread awareness about the nuclear power.
"At present, the Site Selection Committee (SSC) is exploring the possibility of identifying a suitable coastal site in Andhra Pradesh for locating nuclear power plants with Russian cooperation.
"It will be somewhere around Kavali in Nellore district. The exact location is yet decided," the official said.
The official added that the government of Andhra Pradesh has given its consent to carry out technical studies required to identify potential coastal site for locating nuclear power plant in the state.
