Kudankulam Unit-II to be operational by mid next year: Government

NEW DELHI: The second unit of Kudankulan nuclear project in Tamil Nadu will be operational by the middle of next, which will increase power generation capacity in the state by many times, government told the Rajya Sabha today.

"The first Unit of the Kudankulam Project, which had been shut down, will be starting production in January 2016 and the second, in the middle of next year," Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh said.

"Once that starts, the power capacity and power generation in Tamil Nadu would certainly go up many times higher. And, in the next ten years, we are going to make it three times more," he added.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself has been very keen to see these two units functional.

Responding to questions on whether Kerala will get more share in the power generated at the plant, he said, "This is a question which is bothering both states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu...As of now, the formula that is guiding us lays down that 35 per cent of the power generated by Tamil Nadu would go to the neighbouring states."

He added that as far as giving more share is concerned, the question does not fall under the purview of the Department of Atomic Energy.

"I would request that you must also take it up with the Ministry of Power," he said, adding that the sharing pattern is decided by a formula that is known as the Gadgil Formula given by the Ministry of Power.

He said as per this formula, 50 per cent of the power is to be retained by the state in which it is being generated. Out of the remaining 50 per cent, 35 per cent goes to the surrounding region, which, in this case, means Kerala and the other States. The rest of the 15 per cent would be from the Central Pool.

"As far as the Government of India is concerned, the Department of Atomic Energy does not directly decide the share. This may have to be taken up by you with the Ministry of Power. The second option can be that there could be some mutual arrangement between the two States," he said.