India aims for Kudankulam units 3, 4 by year-end: Putin

The Dollar Business Bureau

India and Russia are all set to ink the general framework agreement for the construction of the third and the fourth units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) by 2016 end.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Wednesday held a video conferencing event to indicate this development, while dedicating the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, nearly 28 years since it was first proposed, to the entire nation.

The Russian President underlined that the work for the third and the fourth units has already begun at the site in February. "We expect that by this year-end the general framework agreements will be signed," Putin said.

After India inked the nuclear agreement with the USA, it intended to develop nuclear power parks at various sites using commercial nuclear power technology from France's PWR and Russia's VVER, among others.

Modi, emphasising the Russian President's words on "privileged strategic partnership" between India and Russia, stressed, "In years ahead, we are determined to pursue an ambitious agenda of nuclear power generation - at Kudankulam alone, five more units of 1,000 MW."

Jayalalithaa, too, came out in support of the project and said, "Throughout my tenures in office as the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, I have always extended support to the implementation of the Kudankulam Project while at the same time laying emphasis on allaying the fears of the local people by convincing them about the safety aspects of the plant," she said.

"The government of TN resolved to take steps for the early commissioning of the KNPP and to allocate `500 crore for the development of work in the areas neighbouring Kudankulam. Due to the confidence building measures undertaken by my government, Unit I of the KNPP has started commercial operation," she noted.

The 1000 MW Kundankulam nuclear power plant 1 is the largest unit of electrical power in India. The government is planning to establish five more units of 1,000 MW each.