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Koodankulam plant may be commissioned by 2008

Mumbai: India's first 1,000 mw nuclear power plant built with Russian aid at Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu is expected to be commissioned by December 2008 despite delays in the delivery of some key equipment.

``All efforts are being made to ensure that Unit-I is completed on or before December 2008,'' Nuclear Power Corporation of India's Project Director S.K. Agarwal said on Wednesday.

``Though all major equipment, including pressure vessels, have been received, those materials which were delayed have started coming from the Russian Federation and the situation will be under control shortly,'' he told PTI.

``Unit-I was earlier scheduled to be commissioned in December 2007.''

Mr. Agarwal said the pressure vessel of one of the reactors was installed early this year. However, other construction activities were on at Koodankulam and the corporation was preparing itself to build the next two units of Russian VVER-type reactors there , for which a memorandum had been signed with Russia. India would acquire a few more reactors from Russia in the near future and sites to erect these were now being selected.

The ``site activities'' for four 700 mw pressurised heavy water reactors were underway according to schedule at Kakrapar in Gujarat and in Rajasthan.

Also permission for long-delivery items and advanced procurement process had been given and work in that direction would be carried out in the coming months under the 11th Plan, he said.

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