KAIGA(UTTARA KANNADA): Amidst the promise of Atma Nirbhar Bharah (Make in India) and indigenisation of nuclear energy production, the Kaiga Nuclear Power Corporation Limited in Uttara Kannada on Sunday took a big leap by kickstarting the construction of the plant’s units 5 and 6. The project construction began with the first concrete pour for the reactors.
The Make in India initiative, which has covered defence and several other sectors, has now covered the atomic energy sector, too. The reactors for Kaiga’s units 5 and 6 will have indigenous reactors.
“The pressurised heavy water reactors of 700MW have been completely developed under the Make in India initiative,” said B Vinod Kumar, the site director of the Kaiga nuclear plant.
Kumar said the Union government had approved 10 facts on fleet mode, of which the 700MW reactors were developed for Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka. This is the first time indigenous reactors are being deployed,” he said.
“Under the old agreement, the state would get 20% of the energy generated here, but the new scheme allows for 50% state share,” he said.
Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Chairman Ajit Kumar Mohanty and the secretary, of the department of atomic energy (DAE) inaugurated the work by offering special puja, along with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Bhuan Chandra Pathak.
Mohanty said the work is aimed at achieving the critical within 60 months. “But you should aim for and ensure that it is in full operational mode within 60 months,” he said.
At present Kaiga power plant has an installed capacity of 880MW and will be extended to 2,280MW once the units 5 and 6 are fully operational.
NPCIL ready to add another 7,000MW capacity
If everything goes as planned, the state might get another mega nuclear power project, with the Nuclear Power Corporation India Limited (NPCIL) expressing its willingness to increase generation capacity by another 7,000MW in Karnataka. Bhuvan Chandra Pathak, the NPCIL CMD, said, “We have a target to increase the capacity. We will ensure that more nuclear power plants come up,” he said.