The construction work for unit 5 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) began Tuesday with the first pouring of concrete into the foundation plate of the reactor building.
The flagship Indo-Russian project altogether foresees six units, each with a capacity of 1,000 MW, of which two are already active.
Weighing in on the first pour, Russian Ambassador to India Nikolay Kudashev said it was “one of the significant moments in the Russia-India energy cooperation”.
Rosatom (Russian Company) is providing the technology for the construction of the plant.
India and Russia’s agreement on nuclear power envisions building as many as 12 nuclear plants by 2035.
Nuclear energy is clean in nature — with none of the adverse impacts linked to fossil fuels — but associated with potential health hazards because of the radioactive waste generated. However, advocates of the technology note that the chance of an accident — and thus a leak — is low, and that the impact on people can be avoided.
The Kudankulam plant has been the target of at least two episodes of protest, including one emerging from concerns raised by the Fukushima incident in 2011, when a powerful earthquake and tsunami set the stage for a radiation leak from a nuclear plant that led to the evacuation of thousands of residents from the area around.