Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI, Jan 2: North-India’s first Nuclear Power Plant is coming up at village Gorakhpur in district Fatehabad of Haryana. The work is in progress and the first phase of the project, comprising two units (2×700 MW), is expected to be completed in 2025.
This was disclosed in a reply from Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in Lok Sabha today.
Pertinent to mention that the Nuclear Power Plant in Haryana is a major initiative of the Modi Government, considering the fact that most of the Nuclear Power Plants in the past have been confined to either the South Indian States like Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh or Western States like Maharashtra and Gujarat.
The Nuclear Project in Haryana is expected to generate employment for over 2,000 persons on becoming operational, in addition to which, large employment potential is generated with the contractors/vendors and business opportunities that emerge consequent to the increased economic activity at the site.
As for the current status of this Atomic Power Plant, excavation work is in progress at an advance stage. Land acquisition formalities have been completed and orders have been placed for long delivery equipment like end-shields and steam-generators.
The Minister’s reply also stated that the expenditure incurred on this project till November 2018 was Rs. 1,484 crore. However, the approved completion cost of the project is Rs. 20,594 crore.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL), a Public Sector Undertaking (PSU) under the Department of Atomic Energy, has also undertaken several welfare activities in and around the vicinity of this Nuclear Plant under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. These activities, particularly focus on four major areas, i.e. education including skill development, health and sanitation, infrastructure development and environment sustainability. Construction of inter-connecting roads, construction of toilets in schools and public places, and mid-meal shelters in the school, are some of the other key initiatives undertaken by the Department of Atomic Energy under the CSR initiatives.
One of the important CSR programmes undertaken was providing of assistive-devices to differently-abled persons living in the vicinity of the Haryana Plant. In addition, equipment for Gymnasium in Gorakhpur State Stadium, construction of drinking water tanks, etc. have also been identified as part of the CSR Programmes.
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