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The stalled Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra is back on the drawing-board.
French electricity giant EDF Group has submitted to Nuclear Power Corporation of Indian Ltd (NPCIL) a binding techno-commercial offer to supply engineering studies and equipment for the construction of six EPR nuclear reactors at the Jaitapur site.
The site is a flat tabletop land surrounded by the sea near Jaitapur and Madban villages in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. The local people and political parties such as the Shiv Sena have been opposed to the plant on concerns about the impact on livelihood, environment and nuclear radiation exposure. In the last 15 years, the area has seen many agitations. The planning phase of the project hit the slow lane after the Fukushima reactor accident in Japan on March 11, 2011.
An EDF press statement said the offer is a major milestone for the company. The French nuclear industry will enable discussions aimed at converging towards a binding framework agreement in the coming months. The offer from EDF and its partners includes a detailed technical configuration of the reactors, taking into account the information provided by NPCIL, and supply of engineering studies and equipment for the six EPR reactors.
Tech support
The statement said EDF will provide the EPR technology, engineering studies and equipment for the reactors, relying on the knowhow of its subsidiary Framatome, NPCIL will be responsible for the construction and the commissioning of the six units as also for obtaining all permits and consents, including the certification of the EPR technology by the Indian safety regulator, the statement added.
President of the Jan Hakka Samiti, Satyajit Chavan, who has been representing the villages against the plant for the last 15 years, said EDF neither wants to invest in nor construct the project. It only wants to be a supplier of equipment and know-how to limit its liabilities.
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