Land acquisition for French nuclear reactor park begins

Mumbai: The process for acquiring 938 hectares of land at Jaitapur in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra for constructing a nuclear park with French reactors has begun. The project will host six European pressurised water reactors (EPRs) of third generation design.

Computer generated picture of the new EPR next to the two current Olkiluoto reactors

Of the total land, 700 hectares would be for the plant site. Each plant will be of 1,600 MW capacity. Two reactors will be commissioned in the first phase.

The project will be completed in 10-12 years and is expected to generate upto 10,000 MW of electricity, according to SK Jain, chairman and managing director of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).

According to Jain, technical specifications for the first two EPRs would be finalised in a month's time and the techno-commercial negotiations would be completed by the end of the year.

Environmental studies had been completed and the project was expected to receive environmental clearance from the union government sometime over the next six to eight months.

Work on the project was expected to commence by the end of 2010, Jain said.