Power production at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant is expected to start within 15-20 days as the trials run has been completed, said Minister of State in Prime Minister’s office V. Narayanasamy.
“We will start production at the plant within 15-20 days as we have completed the trial run. The power production will slowly start. The second unit will start by March or April as around 95 per cent of the work is over,” Narayanasamy said on Friday while addressing Nuclear Energy Conclave organised by India Energy Forum.
Terming Kudankulam as a ‘challenge’, Narayanasamy categorically said that NGOs and groups involved in the agitation against the plant were funded by foreign agencies and the Home Ministry had suspended the companies involved in it.
“I do not know if they spent the money or not but I openly said that I got the bank accounts and where the money came. Even now, certain groups and people who retired from the Department of Nuclear Energy and some outside people with the aid and support of foreign agency have been trying to scuttle our nuclear energy programme,” the Minister said.
Narayanasamy further added that despite best efforts through personal dialogues with local community, the problem still persists and people are not still convinced. This has certainly blocked the nuclear power progress.
siddhartha.s@thehindu.co.in
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