Asia-Pacific

India OKs nuclear power plant in western state

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2010-11-29 16:16

NEW DELHI - The Indian government has given its nod to a controversial nuclear power plant along the Konkan coast in the western state of Maharashtra, local media reorted on Monday.

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The Indian Ministry of Environment and Forests has given clearance to the Jaitapu nulcear power project which is to come up in Madhban village in the state's Ratnagiri district, The Times of India reported.

The 9,900-Mega Watt Jaitapur nuclear power plant, the country's largest, will be set up in collaboration with the French firm Areva. The final contracts are scheduled to be signed in the first half of 2011.

The project has elicited a huge outcry, with mass protests by local fishermen and environmentalists who fear that it will not only destroy the rich marine biodiversity of the Konkan belt but also destroy the livelihood of the local population.