The sites offered by state governments for setting up nuclear power plants are evaluated by the Site Selection Committee (SSC) of the Government in accordance to the criteria laid down in Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) code of sitting. The Government accords ‘in principle’ approval of the sites found suitable and recommended by the SSC. At each stage for setting up of a nuclear power plant, interests of the people of the area are taken into consideration. Statutory clearances from state and central authorities are taken before commencement of work of a nuclear power plat. The review during these statutory clearances essentially ensures that necessary safety measures are in place. This was disclosed by MoS in PMO Shri V. Narayansamy in Lok Sabha today in a written reply.
He stated that the site at Kudankulam was jointly identified by the Tamil Nadu state government and the site Selection Committee of the Government. Based on detailed evaluation of the site by the Site Selection Committee and meeting of the laid down criteria, the site was accorded approval by the Government. All statutory clearances from the state and the central government agencies have been obtained.
The site at Jaitapur was offered by the Maharashtra state government and evaluated and recommended by SSC. Based on this, the Government has accorded approval to the site to locate nuclear power plant. Subsequently, environmental clearance and Coastal Regulation Zone clearance by Ministry Environment & Forest have been obtained in line with the laid down procedures.
Shri Narayansamy further revealed that the electricity generated from Kudankulam nuclear power plant will be allocated to the beneficiary states and Union Territories in the Southern Electricity region by the Ministry of Power. The power from the plant will be fed into the southern grid, from where the State Electricity Boards/distribution companies of the beneficiary states will supply it to various sectors/customers.