Kovvada N-plant work likely by 2016: official

The first pour of concrete for the 9,500 MW Kovvada Nuclear Power Park is expected to be achieved by 2016 end and the first of the six units each of 1954 MW is likely to go on stream by 2021.

Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster, resistance from local people and the lapse of the act for acquiring land has delayed acquisition of over 2,000 acres required for the project as also the originally planned schedule of starting work by 2015-16. The State government would have to re-notify the acquisition proceedings and put in place the R & R package before acquiring the land as per the provisions of the new Land Acquisition Act.

Project Director of the Kovvada Nuclear Power Park G.V. Ramesh told

The Hindu that the Srikakulam Collector had recently visited the four villages – Chinna Kovvada, Pedda Kovvada, Tekkali and Ramchandrapuram – that would be affected by the project and sought cooperation from the local people.

He claimed that public representatives, cutting across party lines, supported the project at the meetings organised in each village.

He said the people basically sought all facilities and a good rehabilitation package. They were assured that the R & R package would be in accordance with the new Land Acquisition Act. Once a new R & R package was worked out, officials from Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and Andhra Pradesh government would sit with the local people and finalise it. Subsequently, it would be placed before NPCIL Board for approval and the entire process was expected to be completed by July-August, 2015, he said.

Later the land would be acquired and transferred to NPCIL, which would launch geo-technical investigations while simultaneously constructing rehabilitation colony for displaced people and township for plant’s employees. Mr. Ramesh said the land would be handed over in phases and the work on the first unit at Tekkali was expected to begin by the end of 2016 as it would be coming up on government land. As regards seismic hazard, he said there was no fault within five km area of the project site, which was mandatory. He said it falls in zone-II of the seismic map and experts have opined that Kovvada was one of the safest places.

He said discussions on technical and economic feasibility were continuing between NPCIL and GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy. The cost per MWe would range between Rs.10-12 and the overall project cost would be over Rs.1,00,000 crore.