Power generation capacity at Kudankulam to go up to 4000 MW in 2015-16

The total power generation capacity of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project will go up to 4000 MW with the operationalisation of the third and fourth units (KKNPP-3&4) with 2x1000 MW capacity in 2015-16.

The first unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, with 1,000 MW capacity has been commissioned recently while the second unit with 1,000 MW capacity is under commissioning, an official release stated.

The government in July 2014 had set a target of tripling the then existing nuclear power capacity of 4780 MW in the next ten years, viz, 2024. Various sites have been given ''In-principle'' approval for additional reactors to be set up in future. Currently these sites are under pre-project activities, which include land acquisition, obtaining environmental clearances, evaluation of techno commercial offers in respect of light water reactors (LWRs) to be set up with foreign technical cooperation.

Some of these projects include Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP 1&2), Kaiga (5&6) and Mahi Banswara (1&2) among others, minister of state for power in the prime minister's office and minister of state in the ministry of personnel, public grievances and pensions, Jitendra Singh, informed the Lok Sabha today.

He said, nuclear power generation in the country has grown from 14927 million units (MU) in 2008-09 to 35333 MU in 2013-14. Capacity utilisation has also improved from about 50 per cent in 2008-09 to 83 per cent in 2013-14.

Against the five-year (2012-13 to 2016-17) target of nuclear power generation of 241748 MU set in the year 2011, generation of electricity from April 2012 to January 2015 has been 98686 MU, the minister added.