Kavali likely site for 2nd N-plant?

Nellore: The Department of Atomic Energy has reportedly finalised Kavali for its proposed second nuclear power plant in Andhra Pradesh. The department had initially selected four sites in the area and some have been denied by the National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM), Bengaluru due to reported tectonic activity close to the site and one has been confirmed by the government, but officials are keeping mum on the development.

There have been demonstrations against the proposed plant on the borders of Nellore and Prakasam districts and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has been trying to select a site for the plant.

A site at Allur has been rejected by the NIRM when it proposed four sites since it is close to a tectonic fault located at Chakalakonda village in Vinjamur mandal. It is around 50 km away from the proposed site. But, officials of the DAE say that they had concentrated on Kovvada plant and would take up the new one only after completing initial activity.

Still, rumours have been doing rounds in some sections of Kalpakkam and Kudankulam plants that the site for the second plant in AP has been informally finalised which needs to get formal approvals from the Centre.

“They are only hypothetical and the government had not taken any decision on the site close to Kavali. We have proposed some sites earlier and no site has been finalised till now,” said GV Ramesh, Chief Engineer, Kovvada Nuclear Power Plant.
In fact, the current PHWRs in operation have capacity to generate between 220 MW and 540 MW. The Department of Atomic Energy is already constructing its indigenous PHRWs with a capacity of 700 MW.

The Union government subsequently decided to increase the capacity of 6 ‘AP-1000 reactors’, to be built by USA’s Westinghouse Co in Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh, to 1,208 MW each reactor. These reactors to be built by Areva in Jaitapur of Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra that will have capacity of 1,650 MW each located on the Arabian coast. Areva is known for making Evolutionary Power Reactor (EPR), the third-generation pressurized water reactors across the globe.

Further, the second site to be allocated to the Russians at Kavali for the proposed nuclear power park where atomic reactors with an enhanced capacity of 1,200 MW proposed to be installed. “Above 30 GW of nuclear energy facilities will be under construction in China through the next five years with installed capacity of 58 GW by 2020.

China is having 37 reactors in commercial operation, and 20 under construction. They are firm on avoiding coal fired power plants that are responsible for pollution and we need to replicate it,” said a senior official from the Madras Atomic Power Station.