Nuclear capacity addition of 63,000 MW by 2032 achievable, AEC chairman...

 

Notwithstanding the rising opposition on safety considerations, concerns over the civil nuclear liability regime and the time taken for land acquisition and negotiations, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and the Department of Atomic Energy see increasing India's nuclear capacity to 63,000 MW by 2032 from the present level of 4,780 MW is still achievable.

AEC chairman RK Sinha said that the country is pursuing the capacity addition through the indigenously manufactured reactors and also by imported ones.

Sinha, after inaugurating the India Nuclear Energy Summit here, told reporters that  currerntly there are seven nuclear plants under different stages of developments. These include two units of Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu (2x1000 MW), Kakrapar, Gujarat (2x700 MW), Rawatbhata, Rajasthan (2x700 MW) and proto type fast breeder reactor of 500 MW at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. This will increase the nuclear capacity to 10,080 MW by 2017.
 
Besides, the state-run Nuclear Power Corporation is in the midst of talks to procure light water reactors with unit sizes ranging between 1,000  & 1,650 MW with foreign collaborations, Sinha said.
 
Sinha argued that nuclear energy is safe and secure and quite crucial for country's sustainable growth.
 
He admitted that suppliers -both domestic and international- have expressed concerns with regard to India's civil nuclear liability act and civil liability for nuclear damages rules. "Our Act is quite clear whereby operator of a nuclear plant will be liable for nuclear damage upto Rs 1,500 crore. However, there is a provision of right to recourse by operator. Most of the suppliers are concerned over whether they will have to bear more than Rs 1,500 crore towards liability. Efforts are on to allay their concerns,'' he noted.
 
On the current state of 9,900 MW Jaitapur nuclear power plant in  Maharashtra, Sinha informed that the negotiations were on between NPC and Areva. He admitted that affordability and competitive cost are key factors being considered during negotiations.
 
"We had estimated the per unit tariff of Rs 6.50 in the year of completion of Jaitapur project in 2020-21. The per unit tariff be competitive in comparision with other sources of power," he said.

Source