Kudankulam project, a major success

The dedication of the first unit of the Kudankulam power project to the nation is an important event in the country’s efforts to meet its growing power needs. The dedication was virtually done by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Wednesday. The unit had started commercial production in December 2014 and the second unit is about to go critical. The prime minister said that the Kudankulam project is key to the achievement of India’s ambitions in the nuclear power sector. Putin also underlined the need for energy security of a large and fast-growing economy like India’s. The setting up of the Kudankulam plant is also another milestone in the growth of India’s strong and longstanding ties with Russia. There is no other country with which India has such extensive relations and cooperation in important and sensitive areas like defence, nuclear energy and space programmes.

In spite of the signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal over a decade ago, creation of a legal framework for its implementation and the strong political push it has received, cooperation between India and the US on the ground has not progressed much. Plans like those of US companies such as Westinghouse are still in the early stages. The Kudankulam plant was first conceived during the Soviet Union time but the delays were mostly for extraneous reasons. The problems were successfully resolved and the plant is now in a position to supply power at competitive rates. It is the largest single unit of electrical power in the country. While Ta-mil Nadu will benefit most, Karnataka, Kerala and Puducherry will also get a share of the power. There are also plans to increase the installed capacity and to set up more units. The cost of power is expected to come down with the creation of additional capacity and its utilisation.

There are strong and widely shared concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants. These concerns have become stronger with mishaps like in the Fukushima plant in Japan in 2011. In India also, there have been incidents like the recent leak at the Kakrapar nuclear power plant in Gujarat. The Kudankulam project saw sustained opposition from anti-nuclear protesters, environmentalists and many local residents. The opposition is still there, though there are assurances from all authorities that the Kudankulam nuclear plant is the safest in the world. Though safer sources like solar and wind power are to be preferred, India is not in a position to do without nuclear power now. Therefore, Kudankulam and Russia will have a place in the country’s power plans in the near future.