The construction work on the fifth and sixth reactors of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant will commence soon, Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh told parliament on Wednesday.

The fifth and sixth units will have a capacity of 1000 MW each. They are expected to be completed in 66 and 75 months from the first pour of concrete, respectively, Singh said while answering a question.

“The contractors for execution of various works in the project are chosen carefully adopting stringent pre-qualification criteria including their experience in similar complex works,” he added.

The first two units of the plant, each with 1000MW capacity, are under construction, while the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth units are under various stages of the approval and planning process.

Environmental clearance for the planned units was received from the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in 2008. “The operation of the six reactors at the site would not pose a hazard to the environment and people,” Singh said.

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