Electricity Minister Natham R. Viswanathan on Thursday described as politically motivated the ongoing agitation against the Koondakulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), which is nearing completion.
Addressing reporters here, Mr. Viswanathan wondered why apprehensions about this project were raised now when the executing of the project was going on for 10 years. The agitators were being misguided by some persons who wanted to stall this project for political reasons. At a time when the State was facing power shortage of 3,000 megawatt -3,500 MW, the project, on completion, would provide 924 MW.
Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, who has been taking several steps to improve the power situation in the State, would have objected to this project if stringent norms had not been followed. Several nuclear power stations had been functioning in different States without any major problems, he said.
M. Kasinath Balaji, Site Director, KKNP, explained the five-tier safety system of the project. The buildings that house the reactor and its auxiliary equipment, reactor safety systems, safety diesel generators, the control room and other power generating equipment were designed to operate safely under seismic activity. Though the project site was in a Very Low Seismic Category Zone 2, the project had been designed to withstand all natural events such as tsunami and earthquake.
