The Union government is soon going to set up a nuclear power plant near Pulivendula, the constituency of the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister, Dr Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.Dr Reddy said in Delhi that around 1,500 acres was required for setting up the 2,000 MW unit. The state-owned AP Genco and the Nuclear Power Corporation have tentatively decided to set up the plant as a joint venture in M. Tummalapalli village near Pulivendula in Kadapa district.
An energy giant of the US is also likely to be involved in the project. A formal announcement is expected during the visit of the US secretary of state, Mrs Hillary Clinton. This will be part of the operationalisation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal which was signed last year by the UPA government.
Another nuclear power plant is expected to be located on the coastal belt of Gujarat. Dr Reddy said that a high-level committee will be visiting Tummalapalli to study the location. Already, the Uranium Corporation of India Limitted (UCIL) has taken up uranium mining in the area at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore.
In fact, the mining operation has made Tummalapalli a natural choice for setting up a nuclear power plant as uranium stocks are important in generation of nuclear energy. The UCIL mine can produce 1,50,000 tonnes of uranium a year. At present, the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) is engaged in land acquisition for the nuclear power plant.
The Atomic Energy Commission chairman, Dr Anil Kakodkar, and the UCIL chairman, Mr Ramendra Gupta, visited the area last October. “Uranium mining and refining facilities are very crucial and the Centre is also relieved that there is no opposition from the local people and political parties,” said a senior official of the energy department.
An energy giant of the US is also likely to be involved in the project. A formal announcement is expected during the visit of the US secretary of state, Mrs Hillary Clinton. This will be part of the operationalisation of the Indo-US civil nuclear deal which was signed last year by the UPA government.
Another nuclear power plant is expected to be located on the coastal belt of Gujarat. Dr Reddy said that a high-level committee will be visiting Tummalapalli to study the location. Already, the Uranium Corporation of India Limitted (UCIL) has taken up uranium mining in the area at a cost of Rs 2,000 crore.
In fact, the mining operation has made Tummalapalli a natural choice for setting up a nuclear power plant as uranium stocks are important in generation of nuclear energy. The UCIL mine can produce 1,50,000 tonnes of uranium a year. At present, the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) is engaged in land acquisition for the nuclear power plant.
The Atomic Energy Commission chairman, Dr Anil Kakodkar, and the UCIL chairman, Mr Ramendra Gupta, visited the area last October. “Uranium mining and refining facilities are very crucial and the Centre is also relieved that there is no opposition from the local people and political parties,” said a senior official of the energy department.
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