To decide on ‘pinnacle protest’ against project commissioning

The latest announcement from Minister of State in Prime Minister’s Office V. Narayanasamy on the possible commissioning of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project in mid-January has compelled the protesters to convene a meeting of community leaders on January 13 at Idinthakarai to decide on the future course of action against the upcoming nuclear park.

The much-delayed Kudankulam nuclear power project (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu’s Tinulveli district is finally set set to be commissioned within the next two weeks as nuclear scientists have entered the fi

The much-delayed Kudankulam project is set to be commissioned within the next two weeks as nuclear scientists have entered the final lap of a series of tests on its safety and efficacy.

“Within this month 100 per cent. It will take about two weeks,” Ratan Kumar Sinha, Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission told PTI in Kolkata on the sidelines of the 100th Indian Science Congress when asked about the commissioning of the first 1,000 MW unit of the project.

The police on Wednesday foiled protestors’ attempt to reach near the 9,900-Mw Jaitapur nuclear project site in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. Nearly 2,000 activists, who had taken out a protest march against the project, were arrested and shifted to a makeshift jail at one of the schools in the area.

Villagers adjacent to the project site reiterated their demand for the cancellation of the nuclear project citing safety and security risks. On Wednesday’s protest march was supported by the opposition Shiv Sena and Left parties.

In the Kudankulam case, the argument was that the plant could not be commissioned without resolving the issue of the Russian government’s liability in case of a nuclear accident and without putting in place 17 safety measures. The state contended these safety measures were only additional steps to be implemented over a period of time. The commissioning of the plant depends on the court verdict.

With the conventional energy projects unable to address the power crisis, 2012 saw the emergence of renewable energy in a big way. The state government announced a new solar policy with a target to set up 3,000 Mw of solar power in three years.

Severe power shortage made chief minister J Jayalalithaa write several letters to the Prime Minister seeking Centre's support to address the issue and also for speedy clearance of projects.

She also wants entire power from Kudankulam project to be dedicated to Tamil Nadu

Foreseeing a worsening of power crisis, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday wrote to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking allocation of 2,830 MW of power from Central generating stations to the State as an interim arrangement and dedicate the entire power from the Kudankulam nuclear power project to Tamil Nadu. In her letter to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the State was going through a severe power crisis of a magnitude unprecedented in recent memory. While the demand was about 12,000 MW, supply was only about 8,000 MW, leaving a gap of 4,000 MW.

With the Centre citing transmission constraints, Tamil Nadu on Tuesday demanded that the entire power generated by Central generating stations totalling 2,830 MW in the state be allocated to it as an interim measure to tide over the power crisis.

Facing a power deficit of 4,000 MW by Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh saying she had been requesting for additional allocation but “to our disappointment”, the Centre’s response has been “totally negative.”

Russia has told India that Kudankulam nuclear power plants 3 and 4 would cost “double”, after New Delhi decided that the next two reactors would come under the new civil nuclear liability law, and

In the last lap of its first approach to criticality, the first unit (1000 MWe) of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu is undergoing a battery of tests by engineers of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).

R.K. Sinha, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, told The Hindu that the NPCIL engineers were busy, performing “high pressure and temperature tests.”
Additional tests