India to have 62 Nuclear Reactors by 2025

Bangalore, May 23: Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) proposed to add 37 more nuclear reactors by 2025 to the existing 25 to meet the growing demand for power in the country, its Chairman and Managing Director S K Jain informed today.

In a chat with newspersons here, he said while seven reactors would be established by 2008 at a cost of Rs five crore each, there was a proposal to import 25 reactors to achieve the target set by the Prime Minister for generating 40,000 MW by 2020.

''With the present capacity and additional plants we can produce only 15,000 MW by 2020. Hence to achieve the target there is no other way out but to import 22 nuclear reactors,'' he added.

Mr Jain said the Government had approved four new sites in Jaitapur near Ratnagiri in Maharashtra to produce 8,000 MW.

He also informed that Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Orissa and West Bengal had come forward to offer sites for establishing nuclear plants in its coastal belts. ''Technical study has been conducted and within four months time we will be in a position to identify the sites for future growth.'' Besides, NPCIL had also identified inland sites in Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan to set up seven Nuclear power plants, he added.

To a question, he said establishment of Fast Breeder plants using Plutonium in these sites depended on the demand. At present only Pressurised Heavy Water Treatment (PHWT) technology was being used.

Mr Jain said Rajasthan and Gagrawada would soon get two units each with a capacity of 700 MW. After a gap of two years, four more units would be added and with this the Uranium route would come to an end.

To another question, Mr Jain said there was no dearth of funds and NPCIL was in a position to establish plants to produce 10,000 MW. ''As on today there is no proposal to go for IPL to raise funds,'' he added.

He said the Planning Commission and Union Power Ministry had forecast the need for 1,30,000 MW of power to achieve eight per cent GDP. For this, 10,000 MW of power need to be generated every year, he added.

Mr Jain exuded confidence that the Plutonium-based Fast Breeder plants would become a success. ''We are very confident...that is why we developed it as a commercial venture rather than a R and D venture,'' he added.

UNI