Kudankulam Nuclear Plant Unit-I Dedicated To Nation

The first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear plant was today dedicated to the nation jointly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin with both the leaders calling it a fine example of special and privileged Indo-Russian strategic partnership.

Modi while stressing that the 1,000 MW unit in Tamil Nadu is an important addition to India's continuing efforts to scale up production of clean energy said that at Kudankulum alone, five more units of similar capacity each are planned.

Participating from Moscow via video-conferencing, Putin said the unit has been built using most advanced Russian technology incorporating highest safety standards while Modi asserted that India was determined to pursue an ambitious agenda of nuclear power generation.

"In dedicating Kudankulum 1, we mark another historic step in India-Russia relations. Its successful completion is not just another fine example of the strength of our special and privileged Strategic Partnership. It is also a celebration of our abiding friendship," Modi said in a brief address from New Delhi.

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa also participated through video conference.

The Prime Minister said the Kudankulam unit signals joint effort by the two countries to build "pathways of partnership for green growth".

Talking bout his vision for India's economic development, Modi said the industrial growth should be increasingly driven by clean energy.

"It is perhaps not commonly known that at 1000 Mega Watt, Kundankulum 1 is the largest single unit of electrical power in India. In years ahead, we are determined to pursue an ambitious agenda of nuclear power generation.

"At Kudankulum alone, five more units of 1000 Mega Watt each are planned. In our journey of cooperation, we plan to build a series of bigger nuclear power units," the Prime Minister said, adding, "in our journey of cooperation, we plan to build a series of bigger nuclear power units."

Jayalalithaa said she had always extended support to the implementation of the Kudankulam project while at the same time laying focus on allaying the fears of the local people by convincing them about its safety.

The Kudankulam 1 has been jointly built by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Russia's Rosatom and it had started generating electricity in 2013. Anti-nuclear activists and local people had protested against the project claiming it was unsafe.

The agreement for the project was inked by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and then Soviet Union President Mikhail Gorbachev in 1988 but actual work on the ground started only in 1997.

The unit 1 and 2 of Kudankulam plant were built at a cost of Rs 20,962 crore. A major share of power generated in the plant goes to Tamil Nadu, followed by Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry.

Courtesy: PTI