4 hrs ago
Reliance proposes Bengal nuclear plant with ₹2 lakh crore investment
Reliance Industries wants to build a large nuclear power plant in Bengal.
Officials estimate it could bring about ₹2 lakh crore in investment over six or seven years.
The company prefers Haripur, a coastal area where an earlier nuclear project was cancelled.
That earlier project faced protests from fishermen and villagers.
The state government has suggested Nayachar near Haldia as another possible site.
Reliance also wants to build hotels in several parts of Bengal.
It plans to develop part of a data centre in New Town within three months.
The company has also shown interest in turning difficult-to-mine coal into useful gas.
The proposals are still under discussion with the state government.
Reliance Industries proposed a nuclear power plant in Bengal during meetings with state officials.
The proposed plant could attract about ₹2 lakh crore over six to seven years.
Reliance prefers Haripur, where a previous 1,000MW NPCIL project was cancelled in 2011.
The state has suggested Nayachar near Haldia as an alternative because of earlier local resistance.
Reliance also proposed hotels, an AI-enabled data centre and coal-gasification investments in Bengal.
- Who
- Reliance Industries, West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, chief secretary Manoj Agarwal and other state officials.
- What
- Reliance proposed a nuclear power plant along with hotel, data-centre and coal-gasification projects.
- Where
- The preferred nuclear site is Haripur near Contai in East Midnapore, with Nayachar near Haldia suggested as an alternative.
- When
- The proposals were discussed on Wednesday; the nuclear investment is projected over six to seven years.
- Why
- The proposals could bring major investment, while the state is also considering earlier local resistance to a nuclear project at Haripur.
Haripur proponents
Alternative-site and local-concern perspective
Choice of nuclear site
Haripur proponents
Reliance Industries is keen on Haripur, where a 2,000-acre plot had already undergone surveys and received earlier approval-related preparation for a nuclear project.
Alternative-site and local-concern perspective
The state government has proposed Nayachar near Haldia instead, taking into account resistance from fishermen and villagers who opposed the earlier Haripur project.
Economic benefits versus local concerns
Haripur proponents
State officials described the nuclear plant as the most significant proposal because it could attract about ₹2 lakh crore and create a major investment opportunity.
Alternative-site and local-concern perspective
Residents of about 50 villages previously joined protests over concerns about threats to farming and fishing, and the earlier project was cancelled in 2011.
Key facts
- Estimated nuclear investment
- About ₹2 lakh crore
- Estimated investment period
- Six to seven years
- Preferred nuclear site
- Haripur, a coastal village near Contai in East Midnapore
- Alternative site
- Nayachar near Haldia
- Earlier project
- NPCIL had proposed a 1,000MW nuclear plant at Haripur
- Data-centre deadline
- Reliance said work on 15 of the allotted 40 acres in New Town could be completed within three months
- Planned data centre
- A state-of-the-art, AI-enabled facility, with full work targeted for completion by June next year
Quotes
A senior state official
A state official who described Reliance’s proposals and their potential investment.
“The group assured the government about completing work on 15 acres of the 40-acre plot allotted to it in New Town (in three months). The (entire) work on the data centre will be complete by June next year.”
telegraphindia.com
“Now, if anyone wants to set up a nuclear power plant on that plot, it would be easier for them to secure the clearances compared with doing so for a new plot.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
Related news
Reliance Explores Six Investment Areas in West Bengal
Odisha Studies Six Sites for Potential Nuclear Power Projects
Suvendu Adhikari Plans Mukesh Ambani Meeting to Boost Bengal Investment
Suvendu Adhikari Announces Proposed DRDO Mega Project at Junput
Reliance Plans Multi-Sector Bengal Investments as State Courts Industry
Odisha Examines Nuclear Power Plant Proposals
Pakistan's Reported Gender-Based Violence Cases Expose Gaps in Protection
Sundarbans Program Challenges Gender Norms
IPL Organizes Mega Health Camp in Haripur
West Bengal Women Create Eco-Friendly Rakhis from Water Hyacinth
