New Delhi: After India and US announced a breakthrough on nuclear liability issue, the PMO has directed nuclear establishment to triple the country's current nuclear power generation capacity over the next 10 years.
As per the new target, the current capacity of 4,780 MWe (mega watt electrical) has to be ramped up to 14,580 MWe by 2020-21.
After explicit directions from the PMO, the DAE has reportedly started working on the 10-year target. This is predicated on the completion of ongoing construction and commissioning activities for seven reactors with an aggregate capacity of 5,300 MWe.
In addition, 11 reactors based on indigenous reactor technologies with a total generation capacity of 6,900 MWe and eight reactors based on imported technologies with a total generation capacity of 10,500 MWe are currently scheduled for start of construction during the next three years.
With a capacity of 4,780 MWe, the share of nuclear power in the total electricity generation in the country in 2013-14 was just 3.54 per cent,
The present installed nuclear power capacity in the country comprises 4,160 MWe based on the indigenous technology and 620 MWe (Tarapur Atomic Power Station Units 1&2 – 2X160 MWe and Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Units 1&2 – 100 + 200 MWe) based on foreign technical cooperation. With the coming on stream of the two Russian-built Kudankulam nuclear power project units, the share of reactors built on foreign cooperation would go up to about 26 per cent.
The Centre has, in principle, given its nod for six greenfield sites in Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and West Bengal for new nuclear units. The bulk of this capacity augmentation by NPCIL will be through larger-sized indigenous 700 MWe PHWRs (pressurized heavy water reactors) and imported LWRs (light water reactors) ranging between 1,000 MWe and 1,650 MWe.
Just three years back, tardy progress in case of new nuclear projects had forced the government to sharply prune the ambitious capacity addition target of 20,000 MWe by the year 2020, a target that was firmed up close on the heels of the euphoria surrounding the passage of the Indo-US nuclear deal.
If the plan to triple the installed capacity over the next 10 years goes through, the capacity based on foreign technical cooperation is expected to increase to about 31 per cent over the period.
