The first energy unit of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant being built by Russia in southern India may be launched in two weeks, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Friday.
Singh said at a news conference after talks with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow that the second unit of the plant might be launched within the next six months, adding that there were some worries about nuclear security among civilians. Singh gave assurance the Indian government would solve the issue soon.
India signed a contract to build the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant with the USSR in 1988, while construction started only in 2002. In 2010, India and Russia signed a road map, which stipulates the construction of no less than six energy units at the plant or in other regions.
A source close to the talks told RIA Novosti that an expected signing of a contract to begin construction of the third and fourth energy units at the plant had failed due to protests by local residents. Protesters blocked all roads to the plant and did not allow the workers to enter it.
