Kudankulam-I to begin power production within this month: Government

NEW DELHI: Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu, which has been hit by protests, will start power production within this month, Union Minister V Narayanasamy said today.

"Yesterday I (had) talked to the officials. They told me clearly that all the parameters are working very well. Now the trial run is going on. The power production (at Kudankulam -I) will start within this month, April itself," Narayanasamy told reporters here.

He said scientists, including those who have come from Russia, have been checking all the systems. "The systems are working well," the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office said.

Narayanasamy said certain 'security considerations' caused the delay in the commissioning of the 1,000 MW-capacity Unit-I of the power project.

The delay took place as the officials were checking every machinery at the plant amid concerns with regard to safety raised by both the civil society and people of that area who have been protesting, he said.

India's atomic power plant operator, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd has set up the plant at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district.