Emphasising the fact that nuclear power was the future, Additional Secretary Department of Atomic Energy C.B.S. Venkata Ramana, said the country’s nuclear power vision was on track and the upcoming nuclear power plants at Kovvada and Kudankulam, were steps towards that vision.
The Mumbai-based official informed The Hindu that the 10,000 MW Kovvada nuclear power plant, being built by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) at Kovvada in Srikakulam district will be ready for commissioning in seven years.
Dr. Venkata Ramana also said about 50 MW of power will be given to AP from Kudankulam plant from its first phase.
He assured that the country has mastered the nuclear technology and adequate safeguard measures are in place.
Giving a comparison with thermal plants he said, “the capital expenditure of generating one MW of thermal plant was Rs. 5 crore, which is much lower when compared to nuclear version that comes to Rs. 20 crore for indigenous plants and Rs. 30 crore for imported plants, but the environment hazard in thermal plants was huge.” Coming to spent fuel storage and reuse technology, he said the technology was on par with the developed nations.
According to Dr. Venkata Ramana, the country has the first phase of technology that involves generation of power from uranium.
“We are now moving to the second phase where we process the spent fuel to plutonium in the fast breeder reactors and in the third phase we will use thorium. The country has a reserve of over10 million tonnes of monazite, from which thorium can be extracted,” he said.
He was here on Wednesday at GITAM University to deliver a talk on ‘Atomic Energy: Solutions for a brighter future’.
Country has mastered nuclear technology and adequate safeguard measures are in place
We have a reserve of over 10 million tonnes of monazite, from which thorium can be extracted
