Russians resume work at Indian nuclear project

Russian personnel have resumed construction work at India’s Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant after almost six months of local protests, Russian contractor Atomstroyexport said on Friday. It did not say exactly when work had resumed. The work was halted in September 2011 over protests by local residents demanding the scrapping of the Indo-Russian project. Protesters had blocked all roads to the plant and did not allow the workers to enter. On Monday, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa authorized the resumption of construction work at the project, saying locals had “nothing to fear” from the power plant and pledging $100 million for developing infrastructure near the coastal plant. India signed a contract to build the Kudankulam NPP with the USSR in 1988, while construction started only in 2002. In 2010, India and Russia agreed to build at least six power units.