Maha to purchase power from Jaitapur plant only if its

Maharashtra will purchase power generated at the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant in the state only if it is affordable, a highly-placed source in the Devendra Fadnavis government said today.
The state conveyed its position on the issue during a meeting between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and a French delegation led by French Foreign Affairs Ministry general secretary Christian Masset.
France's Ambassador to India Alexandre Ziegler and representatives of the company working on the project, EDF, also attended the meeting held in Mumbai a week ago.
"The French side may expect the state to purchase power in line with an old agreement.

"According to that pact, the state was to purchase 3000 mega watt electricity. But the state government has told the delegation that it will buy electricity only if it is affordable," the source said.
The government also asked the delegation about the per unit rate of the electricity generated from the plant, but they did not state any.

They assured that the rate would not be higher than what is prevailing in the market, the source said.
The Fadnavis government had asked the EDF to allay apprehensions of the people about the safety aspect of the project, particularly in the light of Japan's Fukushima power plant accident in 2011.

The Japanese nuclear power project was hit by tsunami that year, leading to meltdown of three reactors and release of radioactive material.
To a question, the source said the company plans to make the project operational next year. The project was first supposed to be commissioned six years ago.
"They will finalise the schedule (of launch) and then it will be declared," the source added.
When fully operational, the project, located in Maharashtra's coastal Ratnagiri district, is expected to generate nearly 10,000 mega watt electricity.