Expressing her dismay at the lack of response to previous requests for full allocation of power that would be generated at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Sunday reiterated the demand with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and said she expected a positive response from him in the matter.
In a letter to Manmohan Singh, she drew his attention to two previous letters, one on March 31 and another on April 25, which she had written seeking his assistance for the allocation of the entire power to be generated from the first unit of the 1,000 MW capacity plant. “To my dismay, no response has so far been received from you. I am given to understand that nuclear fuel loading in the first unit of KKNPP is to happen within the next few days,” Jayalalithaa pointed out in her letter.
Jayalalithaa said she was sure Manmohan Singh would appreciate the State’s “justified demand” in the matter and convey a positive response. “May I take this opportunity to remind you of my earlier request and expect a quick response?” she said in the letter.
The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board had recently given its nod for fuel loading in the first reactor of KKNPP, an important step in the commissioning of the nuclear plant.
The Chief Minister had pointed out in her March 31 letter that of the 2,000 MW to be generated through the two units of the KKNPP, only 925 MW has been allocated as the share of Tamil Nadu.
“Tamil Nadu is facing a severe power shortage and it would therefore be proper and justifiable that the entire power to be generated from the KKNPP is made available to Tamil Nadu,” Jayalalithaa had said.
The commissioning of the first unit of the Indo-Russian project in Tirunelveli district was slated for December last year but protests by local people over safety issues had delayed it. (With PTI inputs)
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