Country to add 100,000 MW of Nuke energy

New Delhi, July 2: The Planning Commission has accepted recommendations to raise the nuclear energy capacity from 3,000 MWs to 100,000 MWs in 25 years amid mounting expectations of the US Congress endorsing the Indo-US nuke deal by the end of this month.

The recommendation is one of the 17 given to the Planning Commission for its perusal and acceptance which came through after a recent conclave on India's Energy Security.

The conclave aimed to address the need for an integrated approach to Energy Security in the backdrop of the Draft Report of the Expert Committee of the Planning Commssion on Integrated Energy Policy led by Dr Kirit Parikh.

The government may also retain regulatory and safety controls with the Atomic Energy Commssion, which is consistent with accepted international norms.

Mr Parikh said energy security discussions so far are mainly concerned about the availability of oil and gas. The problem of energy security is much larger and wider so that it should really include not only energy security of the country as a whole but the energy security of the individuals also.

He said India is importing 70 per cent of its oil needs, while oil and gas constitute 45 per cent of total energy consumption in the country. That level shall continue for another 20 to 25 years if the country is to have a 8 per cent plus growth rate.

''We have already had a growth of 8 percent in the last three years which can be increased to 10 per cent in the next five years.

If we can sustain it at that level for another five years, then out per capita income can be doubled at the end of the tenth year. Other indicators also suggest that we can indeed reach this target, but lack of sufficient energy could be a bottleneck for growth,'' he said.

The Indo-US nuke deal will enable New Delhi to access technology and fissile material from the elite nuclear suppliers group to augment electricity generation to meet the rising demand through environment friendly means.

India has developed its nuclear-weapons programme outside the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mohamed ElBaradei, had urged the US Congress to endorse the Indian nuclear-energy deal, which seeks to lift a 30-year-old ban on India, as it is not a part of the non-proliferation regime. India has agreed to open its civilian installations to IAEA inspection.

Washington and New Delhi are expected to work towards ensuring a statement in support of the deal at next month's meeting of the Group of Eight (G8) of most industrialised nations in St Petersburg. This could build pressure on the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) as well as cajole the hawks at the US Congress. The 45-nation NSG has made it clear it will await the Congress vote before making its own decision.

India is also expected to make a big push for nuclear energy and reduce reliance on expensive fossil fuels. The country has also drawn up an ambitious bid to garner 60 million tonnes per annum of oil from overseas by 2025, by empowering public-sector oil companies to enter exploration and production business abroad.

Plans were also being chalked up to double electricity production from nuclear power plants by 2030 with the possibility of international cooperation.

At the current level of 3,310MW, nuclear energy constitutes only 3 per cent of the installed capacity in the country.

The country's 16th nuclear plant went critical recently at Tarapur, while sites have been cleared by the government for four 700MW nuclear power plants (two each) at Kakrapar in Gujarat and Rawatbhata in Rajasthan.

Once the 540MW Tarapur plant (the second pressurised heavy-water reactor) is synchronised to the western grid, the total installed capacity of nuclear energy will go up to 3,890MW.

Work has begun at Jaitapur and Kudankulam for four 1,000MW light-water reactors.

To provide nuclear power to eastern India, the government has approved a 2,000MW plant in Bihar.

The Uranium Corporation of India Ltd is also looking to increase domestic production of nuclear fuel in the states of Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka.

India's Nuclear Power Corp of India (NPCIL) has announced plans to spend 1.2 billion dollar on a stake in a uranium mine, taking on competition from China and Japan. NPCIL Chairman S K Jain said recently that India had approached Australian and Canadian companies on a possible joint venture in uranium mining.

The Atomic Energy Act (AEA) could also be amended to allow private participation in nuclear-power production that has been the monoply of government agencies. Many private players including Reliance, Tata and US-based General Electric (GE) have expressed interest in building nuclear plants.

Reliance Energy Ltd Chairman Anil Ambani said the company is exploring the possibility of setting up a 2,000MW nuclear power plant and is in talks with GE and Russia-based Atom Story Export (ASE) for possible joint ventures.

Experts say that to meet the revised targets, India will have to build at least 30 more reactors and invest 40 billion dollars in the international market.

UNI

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