Champika debunks T'Nadu's power claims

by P. Krishnaswamy

Recent claims by certain Tamil Nadu politicians that electricity will be provided to Sri Lanka from the controversial Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) and protests being staged under their patronage in the South Indian State are baseless, Minister of Power and Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka told the Sunday Observer.

Sri Lanka has nothing to do with that nuclear power project and no understanding whatsoever has been reached with India, he said. The Minister had earlier strongly reacted to Tamil Nadu Congress party's new leader and parliamentarian P.S.Gnanadesikan's widely publicised statement that 'No electricities will be provided to Sri Lanka".

The only concern for Sri Lanka is that leakages from the reactors of that project should not pose any threat to us, especially to the Jaffna peninsula and Mannar which are in close proximity to the project site in Tamil Nadu, he said.

Therefore, it is necessary for the two countries to enter into an agreement on contingency plans to mitigate any potential dangers due to possible leakages, the Minister said.

The project has already run into controversy due to prolonged protests from the local residents on safety issues and the "failure on the part of the experts panel to allay their fears".

Sri Lanka is the only country in the region that has the resources and potential to supply uninterrupted electricity to the whole country and does not need electricity from Tamil Nadu as it has an acute shortage.

Sri Lanka has many long-term plans to generate adequate electricity in the coming years, he said, adding that Sri Lanka and Tamil Nadu have much petential to tap wind power.

He deplored that the politicians across the Palk Straits were trying to gain political mileage out of every single issue.

There is an agreement between Sri Lanka and India to connect the Madurai Power Grid in Tamil Nadu to Talaimannar but this would involve huge expenses.

A feasibility study is now being conducted in this connection, he said.

The present day thinking of experts is to distribute power in the region through a Super Grid, he said.