Nuclear power in India may increase by 15 fold: Study

Mumbai, Oct 3 (PTI) After the U.S. Senate's approval of the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, it is estimated that with international co-operation, nuclear power in India could increase by 15 fold to over 60,000 MW by 2030 from the present 4,120 MW, according to a study.

A nuclear power programme with the limited import of 30
to 40 light water reactors (1000-1600 MW each) enabling
capacity addition in a relatively short period would require
about Rs 30,000 crore to 40,000 crore per year for next two
decades, said the study carried out by Bangalore-based Centre
for Study of Science, Technology and Policy (C.S.T.E.P.).

A very large fraction of this investment would be spent
in the country itself and would provide opportunities for
Indian industries to contribute in a major way.

The availability of adequate number of skilled workforce
is going to be a challenge that India would face, C.S.T.E.P.'s
Director Anshu Bharadwaj told PTI today.

"The U.S. Senate's approval of the Indo-U.S. civilian
nuclear co-operation agreement completes the process of
enabling India's nuclear power trade and commerce with other
countries," Bharadwaj said.

If utilised fully, it could potentially transform
India's nuclear power sector and make it a major contributor
to national power generation and industrial growth, he said.

"India will have to ramp up its educational and training
programmes for various required skills. Several universities
will need to run special training courses to train scientists,
engineers and technicians in design, construction and
operation and maintenance of nuclear power systems," he said.

The C.S.T.E.P., a non-profit think-tank, has recently
released a detailed study "Nuclear Power in India: The Road
Ahead" on country's nuclear power prospects.

The cost of power from these reactors is estimated to be
about Rs 3.2 to 4.3 per kWh and these reactors could
contribute about 60 per cent of the nuclear power by 2030, the
study said.

The balance would be from indigenous heavy water reactors
and fast reactors. The possibility of importing Uranium
enables the heavy water reactors to operate at high capacity
factors to generate more electricity as well as spent-fuel for
use in powering more fast reactors, said C.S.T.E.P.'s S
Rajagopal, a former Secretary of Atomic Energy Commission.

"There is also a considerable merit in building more
indigenous heavy water reactors. Further capacity addition in
the years after 2030 depends on development and
commercialisation of indigenous fast reactors," Rajagopal
said.

"This also enables a route for the use of abundant
Thorium resources in the country in the following decades."

However, to achieve these targets, it was vital to build
the nuclear infrastructure such as sites for new reactors,
spent-fuel reprocessing plants, fuel fabrication and heavy
water and sodium production, the C.S.T.E.P. study said.

The government should promote and nurture not only
public sector power corporations but also amend the Atomic
Energy Act to facilitate private sector participation in the
nuclear industry.

Nuclear power is not a panacea for the country's energy
needs. Despite being almost carbon-free, it is one solution
worth pursuing in the portfolio of options that will
necessarily include clean coal, hydro, gas, renewables and
energy conservation.

The recent policy moves in India and abroad simply
remove an artificial constraint and now allows the country to
optimise the growth of nuclear power as demand, economics and
industrial capacity permit.

The C.S.T.E.P. is now engaged in a similar study on
harnessing solar energy for large scale power generation,
Bharadwaj said. PTI LV