Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant is a nuclear power station currently under construction in Koodankulam in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Cost estimation of this project was US$3 billion.
The Inter-Governmental Agreement on the project was signed on November 20, 1988 by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. The project was in limbo for 10 years. There has been considerable struggle to stop this project due to nuclear pollution reasons[citation needed]. While United States complained about the agreement as it does not meet with the terms of the Nuclear Supplies Group (NSG), Russia contends that the Koodankulam deal was originally signed in 1988 and is therefore not subject to the 1992 NSG guidelines.[1]
There are negotiations to see if a naval base is to be added here for both safeguarding the project and as a presence in the southern tip of the country.[2] A mini port became operational in Koodankulam on January 14, 2004.[3] The port has been established to receive barges carrying overdimensional equipments for light water reactors from ships anchored at a distance of 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi). This removes the necessity of land transportation that increases the possibility of damage. The Sethusamudram project will enhance the military and provide Nuclear Submarine base in the canal, with the nuclear fuel supplied by the Koodankulam Nuclear Project.
In 2008, an agreement on building additional reactors at the atomic station was initialized.[4]
[edit] Technical description
Two 1 GW units of the VVER-1000 model are being constructed by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited. When the two are completed, it will become the largest nuclear power generation complex in India producing a cumulative of 2 GW of electric power. Both units are Water Cooled Water Moderated Power Reactors.[5] The first unit is estimated to go into operation in December 2009, while the second one is set for March 2010.[6][7] Four more reactors are set to be added to this plant.[8] This will add another 2.5 GW output from the project. When completed, this will provide about 40% of the nuclear power in India
Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant
Data
Country India
Owner Nuclear Power Corporation of India LTD.
Built 1998
Reactors
Reactors under construction 2 (2000 MW)
Power
Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant