THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Union Energy Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has informed that Kerala is ready to assign a nuclear power plant if 150 acres of land is available. The minister clarified this when he was here to review the power and urban development activities in the state. The minister also said that Cheemeni in Kasaragod is the right place for this. The center has promised to provide all necessary assistance if the land is available. The union minister stated that this will solve the power crisis in the state to a large extent.
However, it is reported that the state government has not taken a policy decision in this regard. Athirappilly in Thrissur and Cheemeni in Kasaragod were the places directed by the energy department and the electricity board when they approached the center for the project. However, Union Minister Suresh Gopi had earlier opposed this and stated that a large tourism center on the Disneyland model is being planned in Athirappilly.
The union minister said that it is up to the state to find a suitable place and that there is a large deposit of monazite containing thorium on the Kerala coast. A thorium-based nuclear power plant can be set up in Kerala. The union minister was on a two-day visit to the state. The chief minister and the electricity minister met the union minister in Kovalam. However, Kerala directed that the power plant is not needed in Kerala itself and can be set up outside also. The proposal submitted by Kerala to the union minister mentioned that electricity can be generated from thorium at one rupee per unit.