NPCIL to file fresh plan for Kovvada power project

Move was necessitated due to change of reactors' design for 6,000 MW plant

The state run Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) will file fresh terms of reference (ToR) within a month with the union ministry of environment and forest (MoEF) to carry out environment impact assessment (EIA) and prepare the environment management plan for the proposed 6,000 MW power plant at Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh. This is necessitated after NPCIL and US firm Westinghouse on June 7 have agreed to begin engineering and site design work immediately for six AP1000 reactors to be installed at Kovvada.

ToR submission is needed to prepare EIA and environment management plan for seeking environment clearance from MoEF.

The Kovvada project director GV Ramesh told Business Standard: "In the light of Westinghouse's proposal to supply six AP 1000 reactors, NPCIL will file a fresh ToR with MoEF. Already, NPCIL had filed ToR in the past for the installation of six reactors of 1,594 MW each from GE Hitachi. Already, preliminary environmental assessment has been carried out at the project site.'' He reiterated that a new ToR is essential due to the change of reactors' design.

NPCIL in its earlier ToR has mentioned that it will need 884 hectareS of land for the Kovvada project and the cooling water requirement has been estimated at 69,000 million litre per day (MLD) to be obtained from seawater. The total fresh water requirement including township has been estimated at 27.6 MLD. The fresh water needs will be met from Nagavali river till commissioning of the desalination plant.

On the commencement of negotiations with Westinghouse, Ramesh said some talks were already underway and it would continue. ''NPCIL will put in energy and alll our brain to arrive at a competitive tariff for the Kovvada project which is expected to come up by 2022-23,'' he noted. He informed that the power generated from the Kudankulam plant in Tamil Nadu is about Rs 4 per unit.

Atomic Energy Commission's former chairman R K Sinha said that 1,000 reactors are operational abroad and it is a proven technology supplied by Westinghouse. ''The tariff will have to be competitive compared with power generated from other sources,'' he noted.

PwC Partner (Grid) Kameswara Rao observed that the main challenge in translating the policy into action is high capital costs, which unless supported by concessional finance from supplier governments, will cost close to Rs 7 per unit with commercial finance.''Global nuclear equipment suppliers must work with local industry to localize manufacturing in order to reduce overnight cost for it to be affordable to India,'' he said.

HIGHLIGHTS:

* NPCIL already completed pre-environmental assessment for Kovvada project

* Plans to soon step up talks with Westinghouse for supply of six AP 1000 reactors

* Eyes competitive tariff compared with power generated from other sources

* Hopes project to be commissioned by 2022-23