Days after her Government’s green signal to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms Jayalalithaa, today said that the plant is expected to commence production in two months.

“The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project is expected to commence production in two months,” she said in the State Assembly, elaborating on the steps to increase energy availability to the power crisis-hit state.

The Government had recently given its go-ahead to the Indo-Russian project at Kudankulam, where work was stalled for several months, following protest by anti-nuclear activists over safety concerns. Work on the first two units, each capable of producing 1,000 MW, is almost complete.

The Jayalalithaa Government had given the green signal after maintaining silence for several months on the commissioning of the project, paving the way for immediate resumption of work. Both the central and state expert panels had certified the plant as safe.

The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy, spearheading the stir against the project, withdrew its nine-day indefinite fast yesterday, but is continuing the agitation.

Responding to members’ observation that the budget did not contain any power projects, she said the AIADMK Government had added 2,518 MW during its previous tenure in 2001-2006 against 206 MW during the last DMK regime.

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