: The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) says Andhra Pradesh will get 50 per cent of the power to be produced at the atomic power plant at Kovvada in the district at affordable rates. NPCIL experts, including Kovvada Atomic Power Plant Project Director G.V. Ramesh, recently visited the United States to study the latest technology which is reportedly being used in the under-construction atomic power plants in Vogtle and VC Summer. U.S- based Westinghouse Electric Corporation will supply same AP-1000 nuclear reactors to NPCIL for its prestigious project.
In an exclusive interview to The Hindu , Mr. Ramesh said that the U.S., China and many other countries had been constructing atomic power plants contrary to the claims of representatives of Left parties and a few civil society groups.
He has also refuted the allegations that old and outdated technology was being transferred to India. “Only two years ago, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved AP-1000 designs and which is why those reactors will be used for new projects being constructed by Westinghouse both in China and the U.S. People should not give credence to the false campaign designed to thwart India’s development. Without human intervention, the reactors with advanced technology would shut down automatically in case of emergency,” he added.
Reacting to allegations that generation of atomic power is a costly affair, he said that the government would spend around Rs. 12 crore per MW which would be supplied below Rs. 4 per unit. It will be the cheapest in future. “The claim made by critics that the government would spend Rs. 42 crore per MW is baseless. We request them not to block the development of A.P. as well as India with false propaganda,” he said.
Production likely
from 2024
The Project Director is hopeful that construction work will start in 2018 and production will begin by 2024. Of the 6,600 MW produced at the plant, 3,300 MW will be allocated to AP.
