Thorium as basic atomic energy abundantly available in India

New Delhi, Mar 9: Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Prithviraj Chavan today (Mar 9, 2006) informed the Rajya Sabha that the Indian atomic energy programme has been formulated to achieve long-term energy security through use of abundantly available Indian thorium resources.

Mr Chavan further said that the policy of the government is to achieve rapid growth in nuclear power generation capacity in India based on full international civilian nuclear cooperation while continuing the effots to develop appropriate indigenous technologies towards realisation of the ultimate goal of large-scale utilisation of thorium for energy production in the form of electricity as well as hydrogen.

On recommendations of Kirit Parikh Panel, the Minister admitted that the Expert Committee headed by Dr Kirit S Parikh, in his draft report recognises the potential of the nuclear power and recommends continuing support to the development of India's three-stage nuclear power programme in meeting country's long term energy security objectives.

The enlarged nuclear power programme would be realised through rapid progress in development of our three stage nuclear power programme to tap vast energy potential in our thorium resources in the long run and at the same time setting up nuclear power reactors based on foreign collaborations for the short run, he added.

In reply to a question on atomic energy production, Mr Chavan admitted that government has plans to set up more Atomic Energy Plants with the latest safeguards available in the international market.

He informed that presently construction work on 8 nuclear powr reactors was in progress,w hich on completion would add 760 MWe in 2006-07, 1660 MWe in 2007-08, 1000 MWe in 2008-09 and 500 MWe in 2010-11. Thus the current nuclear power capacity of 3360 MWe would be increased to 7280 MWe in the next five years.

In addition to the capacity of 7280 Mwe in operation/under construction, more nuclear powr projects are also planned to progressively increase the nuclear capacity base in the country.

UNI