The Hindu Business Line : Work on new Koodankulam units to start by year-end

New Delhi, Sept. 19 The Centre plans to commence work on setting up four new reactors at Koodankulam with Russian assistance as early as December, with the draft technical and economic proposals expected to be firmed up latest by March-April 2009.

According to Government sources, during the last six months, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) has done “considerable” groundwork for expanding the site in Tamil Nadu for accommodating new units. The building of support infrastructure is already under way and the digging of the foundation pit is to start shortly. All necessary permissions from the Ministry of Environment and Forests are in place.

water-cooled reactors

The four new units would be set up under the inter-governmental agreement initialled by Russia and India earlier this year. The ‘VVER-1000’ water-cooled reactors manufactured by Russian firm Atomstroyexport, two of which are being set up in the first phase, will be deployed in the second phase as well.

A DAE official said that the funding pattern for the four new units of 1,000-MW each could, however, be different from that for the first two units under construction, where the Russian Government extended a long-term credit covering nearly half of the $2.6-billion cost.

In the case of the new Koodankulam units, as well as the project expected to be set up at Jaitapur in Maharashtra with French assistance, NPCIL is likely to contribute 30 per cent equity, while the remaining 70 per cent of project cost is likely to be raised through other sources, including multilateral loans and from the markets.

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