Question : APPREHENSION OF GENERAL PUBLIC

(a) the steps being taken to mitigate the fears of people of Kudankulam in particular and Tamil Nadu in general who are against setting up of new units of nuclear power plants;

(b) the per unit cost of power produced in the Kudankulam power plant after taking into account all input costs and the expenditure involved in disposal of nuclear wastes;

(c) whether the nuclear power plant is economically viable and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the details of new nuclear power projects in the country which are being proposed by the Government in view of the increasing future demand for power?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR.JITENDRA SINGH):

(a) Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is pursuing its public outreach programme at Kudankulam, its surrounding areas and Tamil Nadu state to reach out to all sections of the society and allay the apprehensions about the safety of nuclear power, the project and all related issues in a credible manner. A multi-pronged approach has been adopted in this regard. Some of the main initiatives undertaken include: # Creation and distribution of single sheet pamphlets on various aspects of nuclear energy in simple local language
# Distribution of books, comics, CDs etc. about the project
# Organising site visits
# TV Commercials, Radio Jingles and short films in theatres
# Organising Exhibitions
# Lecture Presentations in Schools and Colleges
# Media Briefings and scientific meets for Journalists
# Briefing of Sarpanchs, Peoples representatives, community leaders, state and local officials etc.
# E awareness through NPCIL website.
Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI), a public sector undertaking of this Department which is constructing a Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor of 500 MW capacity at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu has also taken up neighborhood development activities focusing on four broad areas viz., Education, Health, Infrastructure and Environment and skill development.

(b) The present generation tariff of electricity from Kudankulam unit-1 is 394 paise per unit.

(c) Yes, Sir. The tariffs of electricity through nuclear energy are comparable to those of the contemporary conventional base load power generating units (like coal based thermal power) located in the region. Details in this regard relating to central sector are given below:

 Technology	Tariff Range (paise / kWh) 2013-14 
 Nuclear	97 - 394 Coal (Non Pithead Generating Stations)	375 – 529 Coal (Pithead Generating Stations)	147 – 385 Lignite	279 – 401 Natural Gas (APM)	336 – 399 Natural Gas (NAPM)	423 – 439 Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)	920 – 1288 Naphtha/ HSD	846 – 1367 

 Project	Location	Capacity (MW) 
 Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP 3&4)	Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu	2 x 1000 Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidhyut Pariyojana (GHAVP 1&2)	Gorakhpur, Haryana	2 x 700 

 Project	Location	Capacity (MW) 
 Indigenous Reactors 
 Chutka Madhya Pradesh	Chutka, Madhya Pradesh	2 x 700 Atomic Power Project (CMPAPP 1&2) Mahi Banswara, 1&2	Mahi Banswara, Rajasthan	2 x 700 Kaiga 5&6	Kaiga, Karnataka	2 x 700 Fast Breeder Reactor (FBR 1&2)	Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu	2 x 500 Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR)	Location to be decided	300 
 Reactors with Foreign Cooperation 
 Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project	Jaitapur, Maharashtra	2 x 1650 (JNPP 1&2) Kovvada, 1 & 2	Kovvada, Andhra Pradesh	2 x 1500 Chhaya Mithi Virdi, 1&2	Chhaya Mithi Virdi, Gujarat	2 x 1100