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On 13 June 2012, Nuclear Power Corpn. of India Ltd (NPCIL) signed an Early Work Agreement (EWA) with the American company, Westinghouse Electric for installation of a 1,000 mw nuclear reactor.
The atomic power plant is expected to be set up at Mithi-Virdi in Bhavnagar district of Gujarat. The work agreement includes preliminary licensing and site development.
In January 2012 the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission released its final safety evaluation report on the technical review of the AP1000 standard nuclear reactor design and gave its certification for AP1000 reactors of the Westinghouse Electric company.
The Mithi Virdi atomic power project, with 6 units of 1,000 mw each was announced by NPCIL in January 2007 with an investment of Rs.500 billion. The cost was later revised in October 2009 to Rs.600 billion. The central government approved the project in November 2009.
The project ran into land acquisition trouble, when farmers from Jaspara and 30 other nearby villages refused to part with their land and submitted a written petition to the official authorities. In May 2011, around 700 farmers protested against the project and participated in a rally in Jaspara. The main concerns were environmental risks due to the atomic power plant and forcible acquisition of land.
Environment clearance for the project is still pending. In June 2010, the Ministry of Environment Forests (MOEF) refused Terms of References (ToR) to the project citing shortfalls in the pre-feasibility reports. It asked the company to submit a fresh report. The Environmental Impact Assessment for the Mithi Virdi project is under process.
NPCIL is working with the state government of Gujarat on a rehabilitation package for the people who will be affected by the project. The nuclear reactors will be installed only after clearance from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). The company plans to start construction on the project by December 2012 and commission the project by December 2018.