By IANS
Tuticorin (Tamil Nadu) : Ahead of Russian Prime Minister Victor Zubkov’s visit to India Feb 12, Anil Kakodkar, chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission, has said that the Russian-aided Koodankulam nuclear plant in Tamil Nadu will begin power generation in March.
The project is getting delayed because Russia has to take into account Nuclear Supplier Group’s concerns, officials said here.
“Russia’s international commitments to the Nuclear Suppliers Group has delayed the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project’s expansion plans,” Kakodkar told reporters after a visit to the plant, about 600 km from Chennai.
Kakodkar was accompanied by S.K. Jain, chairman and managing director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.
Jain told the media the first Koodankulam unit would begin generating power by this March. Unit two will go online by the end of 2008.
Russia is providing six VVER reactors for the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project. Each reactor is capable of producing 1,000 MW. The project began in 2001.
On the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, Kakodkar said the text of the inter-governmental agreement (123 Agreement) has been finalised.