The Hindu : National : Nuclear plants to get additional 2,000 MW capacity in 6 months

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Sep 09, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

National

National

Nuclear plants to get additional 2,000 MW capacity in 6 months

Sujay Mehdudia

NEW DELHI: The green signal given to the India-U.S. nuclear deal by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) will, apart from giving a big push to the tie-ups with Russian and French companies engaged in the power sector, lead to an addition of 2,000 MW capacity to the existing nuclear plants within the next six months.

Minister of State for Power Jairam Ramesh said that the immediate impact would be on fuel supply. “Currently we have around 4000 MW nuclear capacity that is operating at about 45 per cent capacity,” he said. “Now countries such as Australia, Canada and South Africa could start supplying uranium to India and within six months another 2000 MW power capacity could stand added if fuel supply materialises as it should. Plants at Kaiga in Karnataka and Rajasthan are ready and awaiting commissioning.”

In the medium-term, the impact would be felt in the expansion of light-water reactor capacity of the Koodankulam project in Tamil Nadu, Mr. Ramesh said. Russia was already setting up 2X1000 MW units at Koodankulam. Fuel for this had already arrived. The first 1000 MW was expected to be commissioned by March 2009 and the second by December 2009. For another six new 1000 MW units planned, the NSG waiver was essential. The agreement for this could now be tied up with the Russians, he said.

French company Areva was in talks with India for setting up new generation 1000 MW and 1600 MW capacity reactors. U.S. giant General Electric had also expressed a desire to participate in India’s nuclear expansion. However, its participation would only be possible after a formal clearance by the U.S. Congress.

Mr. Ramesh said plans were afoot to set up 20,000 MW capacity by 2020, of which 10,000 MW would come from natural uranium reactors indigenously developed, 8000 MW from light water reactors of the Koodankulam-type and another 2000 MW from fast breeder reactors of indigenous design.

India’s first 500 MW fast breeder reactor was being set up at Kalpakkam, near Chennai, and would be commissioned by March 2011.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National