The union cabinet of India has granted approval for four proposed sites for new nuclear power plants.
The sites named are Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, Kakrapar in Gujarat, Rawatbhata in Rajasthan, and Jaitapur in Maharashtra, which, if developed, would add a further 6,800 MW of nuclear capacity to the country’s portfolio, according a statement from the Nuclear Power Corp of India.
Detailed proposals for the plants are being developed but they are focused on the indigenous pressurised heavy water reactor rated at 700 MW and the light water reactor. All of the named sites apart from Jaitapur are near existing nuclear facilities.
The site selection was carried out by a committee constituted by the government which consisted of experts from various fields including R and D and health, safety and environment, the Union Minsitry of Environment and Forests, the Central Electricity Regulatory Authority and the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.