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Fatehabad N-plant gets green nod
Sushil Manav
Tribune News Service

Fatehabad, December 29
A major hurdle in the way of setting up of a nuclear power plant at Gorakhpur in Fatehabad is over as the Environment Ministry has finally granted a conditional green clearance to the project.

The formal launch of the project, however, may get delayed as Prime MInister Manmohan Singh would not be able to lay the foundation stone of the 2800-MW Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojna (GHAVP) on January 3 due to his packed schedule.

The decision to give a green clearance to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) proposal for setting up a Rs 23,502-crore nuclear power plant in Fatehabad district was taken at a recent meeting of the Expert Appraisal Committee on Environmental Appraisal of Nuclear Power Projects.

TR Arora, NPCIL’s project director for GHAVP, confirmed that he has received a copy of the green clearance. The plan is to set up a nuclear power project with four reactors of 700 MW capacities each at Goarkhpur. The project, for which the Ministry accorded Terms of References (ToR) three years ago, would be implemented in phases. The first phase would comprise two units of 700 MW each, Arora said. The panel, which had sought details of the compensation paid and other measures as part of the project's rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) plan for those affected, has insisted that the project proponent should consider the newly enacted Land Acquisition Act for providing relief for affected persons, including landless labourers, said sources.

The proposal has got the green clearance subject to several conditions, including clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and necessary precautionary measures in and around the plant. It has recommended regular monitoring of conventional gaseous pollutants, radioactive pollutants in the air as well as in the discharged water as per the AERB standards. Regular monitoring of ambient air quality should be carried out in and around the plant, Arora said. The NPCIL will also have to implement a conservation plan for the wildlife living in the area.

Authorities in Fatehabad may have to wait a little longer for the project inauguration. The PM was supposed to inaugurate the Gorakhpur plant and Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP) in Jhajjar on January 3. The PM has confirmed his availability for the Jhajjar project but there is no word on the Gorakhpur project so far.

Manmohan Singh will also lay the foundation stone of the National Cancer Institute at AIIMS-II at Badsha village of Jhajjar the same day.

Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Prahlad Singh Gillankhera, who represents Fatehabad Assembly segment, said arrangements were being made to ensure the inauguration of the project in the second week of January.

Earlier, the Prime Minister had given a tentative launch date of December 30 after Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda had met him with a request to lay the stone for the two projects the same day.

Jan 3 launch may get delayed

• The formal launch of the Fatehabad project may get delayed as Prime MInister Manmohan Singh would not be able to lay its foundation stone on January 3 due to his packed schedule
• The PM was supposed to inaugurate the Fatehabad plant and Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership in Jhajjar on January 3
• He has confirmed his availability for the Jhajjar project but there is no word on the Gorakhpur project so far