Indian Supreme Court gives go-ahead for Tamil Nadu nuclear plant
Country's largest power plant built to meet surging demand for electricity
India's Supreme Court has given the green light for the commissioning of the nation's largest nuclear power plant in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, despite widespread protests.
"The plant has been set up for people's welfare," said the ruling on the plant. "Necessary clearances have been taken by the government, and development of the nuclear power plant is important for India."
The plant has been set up for people's welfare. Necessary clearances have been taken by the government, and development of the nuclear power plant is important for India
The Russian-built Kudankulam plant is the country's biggest nuclear power project and is designed to help meet a surging demand for electricity in Asia's third-largest economy, where power blackouts are frequent.
Plans for the facility were first drawn up in 1988 and two of the reactors are now in place.
The plant was supposed to open in 2011 but large, often violent protests by locals worried about radiation have delayed its inauguration.
Several petitions had been filed before the top court by anti-nuclear activists challenging the project on safety grounds.
"We have to strike a balance between larger interest and economic necessities," Judges K.S. Panicker Radhakrishnan and Dipak Mishra said in the ruling.
