North India Statesman
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NTPC Nuclear Project: Public sector power generating company NTPC plans to set up nuclear power plants of 700 MW, 1,000 MW and 1,600 MW capacity at various locations in the country. A senior official of the company gave this information. NTPC aims to contribute 30 GW or 30 percent of India’s proposed 100 GW nuclear power capacity by 2047. According to industry estimates, setting up a 1 GW capacity nuclear power plant costs Rs 15,000 to Rs 20,000 crore and the process from construction to production takes about three years.
NTPC is currently studying suitable land options in several states including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh. According to officials involved in the company’s strategy, the capacities of the projects will be 700, 1,000 and 1,600 MW respectively. These projects will be set up only in States approved by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB). Once approved, NTPC will execute the projects as per the provisions. The company has also started work on the availability of raw materials required for nuclear energy.
In the backdrop of these projects, the company is studying the possibility of investing in uranium mines abroad. For this, a draft MoU has been prepared with Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL) for technical and commercial investigations. Further planning will be done accordingly.
Focus on indigenous reactor technology:
On the technical front, the company will set up 700 and 1,000 MW projects based on indigenous pressurized heavy water reactor technology, while technical cooperation will be considered for 1,600 MW projects. NTPC currently has a total installed capacity of 84,848 MW and is working with NPCIL to set up a nuclear power project in Rajasthan at a cost of about Rs 42,000 crore.
There are currently 25 nuclear reactors operating in 7 nuclear power plants in India with a total capacity of 8880 MW. These reactors are operated by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
