NSG waiver may boost nuclear power capacity by 2,000 MW in six months

09 Sep 2008

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New Delhi: India need not wait a very long time for the effects of the recently granted NSG waiver to become evident. For a nation that has experienced terrible power shortages in recent times, the NSG waiver will provide immediate good news as it is likely to lead to an addition of 2,000 MW capacity to existing nuclear plants over the next six months.

Union minister of state for Power, Jairam Ramesh, has said that the waiver would have an immediate impact on nuclear fuel supply. ''Currently we have around 4000 MW nuclear capacity that is operating at about 45 per cent capacity,'' he said. ''Now countries such as Canada and South Africa could start supplying uranium to India and within six months another 2000 MW power capacity could stand added if fuel supply materialises as it should. Plants at Kaiga in Karnataka and Rajasthan are ready and awaiting commissioning.''

In the medium-term, the impact would be felt in the expansion of light-water reactor capacity of the Koodankulam project in Tamil Nadu. The two Russian designed and built 1000 MW units at Koodankulam would be commissioned by March and December 2009. Ramesh said that the fuel for these units had already arrived.

Another six new 1000 MW units are planned at Koodankulam, for which the NSG waiver was essential.

Once the US Congress ratifies the Indo-US nuclear deal agreements with the Russians, the French and the Americans for new reactors can be formalised. French company Areva is in the running with its new generation 1600 MW capacity reactors.

Ramesh said that plans were afoot to set up 20,000 MW capacity by 2020, of which 10,000 MW would come from indigenously developed natural uranium reactors, 8000 MW from light water reactors of the Koodankulam-type and another 2000 MW from fast breeder reactors of indigenous design.

India's first 500 MW fast breeder reactor was coming up at Kalpakkam, near Chennai, and would be commissioned by March 2011.

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