The Union Minister for Power, Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, on Sunday said that the Centre was willing to clear a nuclear power plant project for Kerala if sufficient land is provided and described Cheemeni in Kasaragod district as the “more favourable” site for it.
Briefing the media after a review of matters related to the power sector and urban affairs at Kovalam here, Mr. Manohar Lal said 150 acres is needed for the nuclear power plant project. He picked Cheemeni when asked about the two potential locations that have been doing the rounds; Cheemeni and Athirapilly in Thrissur district.
At Sunday’s meeting, Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty had urged the Centre to explore the possibility of establishing a thorium-based power plant outside Kerala using thorium deposits in Kerala’s coastal stretches. From this plant, Kerala should be allocated its eligible share of electricity, according to the State’s proposal.
In December 2023, top officials of the State Power department had visited the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, to explore the possibility of tapping Kerala’s thorium deposits for power generation. Earlier this year, the possibility of establishing a nuclear power plant in Kerala began doing the rounds following a meeting between the KSEB Chairman and Managing Director and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL).
On Sunday, Kerala sought enhanced financial support for Kerala’s ‘CAPEX’ model smart metering programme under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). According to the State government, Kerala cannot expect a high return on investment (RoI) corresponding to the heavy investment needed in smart metering since the aggregate technical and commercial (AT&C) losses are already below the 10% mark.
Kerala has also sought a single window clearance mechanism for faster approvals in the power sector.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan met Mr. Manohar Lal during the course of the meeting. Minister of State for Tourism Suresh Gopi, Electricity Minister K. Krishnankutty, Additional Chief Secretary (Power) K.R. Jyothilal and KSEB CMD Biju Prabhakar were also present.
Published – December 22, 2024 07:07 pm IST