The cost of constructing Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (Unit 1 &2) rose by 31% to Rs 17,270 crore. The first unit of the project, which was supposed to go on stream in December 2007, is expected to commence this month.
The local fishing community, backed by the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), is protestesting against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project. Work at the project had come to a standstill in October last year due to the protest by the local people, who said they fear a rik to their lives in case of a nuclear accident.
India's atomic power plant operator NPCIL is building two 1,000 MW reactors at Kudankulam in Tirunelveli district around 650 km from here.
Union Minister V Narayanasamy today told the Rajya Sabha that the orignial completion date of Unit 1 in KKNPP was December 2007 and Unit 2 was December 2008. Now the two are expected to be completed in August 2012 and March 2013, respectively.
The original cost of the project, for Unit 1&2 was Rs 13,171 crore and now the expected the completion cost is around Rs 17,270 crore.
A credit of Rs 6,416 crore has been advanced by the Rusian Federation for both the two in KKNPP, he said.
The first and second units of Kudankulam project are schedule to reach criticality (first start of fission chain reaction) in August 2012 and March 2013 and commence commercial operation by October 2012 and June 2013, respectively.
On the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam , the Minister said the original completion cost was Rs 3,492 crore and expected completion cost is Rs 5,677 crore. The project's original completion date was September 2010, now it is expected to be completed in September 2014, the Minister added.
