Nuclear power production in India has not only doubled in the last five years but it will double in the next five years as well!
Nuclear Power Generartion in India Doubles, Capacity Utilisation Up 33 Pc
In this file photo, a view of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. (File)
NEW DELHI: Nuclear power generation In India has more than doubled in the last six years while the capacity utilisation of nuclear reactors in country has increased from about 50 percent to 83 percent, the government said adding that it was the result of the fruition of international cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.
"Following the fruition of international cooperation in the field of nuclear energy in 2008, nuclear power generation has grown from 14,927 million units (MU) of electricity in 2008-09 to 35,333 MU in 2013-14 and the numbers is slated to improve further in next few months,” Minister of State for the Department of Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh said in a written response to a question in Lok Sabha.
The target of nuclear power generation for the five years (2012-13 to 2016-17) in the year 2011 was 241748 MU. The generation of electricity from April 2012 to January 2015 has been 98686 MU.
Replying to another question on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), he said that the Unit 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) of 1000 MW capacity each are being prepared for launch in 2015-16.
The KKNPP 1 with 1,000 MW capacity has already been commissioned recently while Unit-2 (KKNPP-2) with 1,000 MW capacity is under commissioning.
Prime Minster Narendra Modi led NDA Government in July 2014 had set a target of tripling the then existing nuclear power capacity of 4780 MW in the next ten years by 2024. Keeping up with that ambitious plan, various sites have been given “In-principle” approval for additional reactors to be set up in future.
“Currently these sites are under pre-project activities which include land acquisition, obtaining environmental clearances, evaluation of techno commercial offers in respect of Light Water Reactors (LWRs) to be set up with foreign technical cooperation,” he said.
Some of these projects include Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP 1&2), Kaiga (5&6) and Mahi Banswara (1&2) among others.
“The safety being an ongoing process, constant review of safety aspects effecting necessary upgrades thereof in line with the evolving safety standards at par with the best international standards is a regular practice in Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL),” Singh added.
Nuclear Power Generartion in India Doubles, Capacity Utilisation Up 33 Pc -The New Indian Express
Why India's nuclear power output is surging
India is on course to double its nuclear power generation capacity to more than 10,000 mega watts (MW) over the next five years
With Prime Minister Modi setting an ambitious goal of tripling
nuclear power over the next decade, an analysis by IndiaSpend reveals that India’s nuclear-power sector is in the best shape it has ever been to deliver that target.
India is on course to double its nuclear power generation capacity to more than 10,000 mega watts (MW) over the next five years (see first table).
Generation of nuclear power in India has doubled over the past five years, as IndiaSpend has earlier reported. The new capacity under construction means nuclear power generation will double again over the next five years.
The first of the new reactors under construction, the brand-new 1,000-MW power plant at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu, started commercial operations on December 31, 2014, while other projects are in the pipeline.
Source: Lok Sabha
The ongoing surge in nuclear power is a direct payoff of the India-US Civil Nuclear Agreement.
The most publicised aspect of this deal is the four power plants that India hopes to build with foreign collaboration.
Progress has been slow, leading some observers to write off the deal.
The nuclear deal has already delivered clear, tangible gains for India, and will continue to do so in the coming years.
Nuclear power plants account for 3.5% of India’s current electricity generation, and its share in India’s future electricity generation will be less than 10% even if the installed capacity is tripled. However, along with other sources of energy such as hydropower and solar-power, it will play a role in reducing India’s reliance on coal for generating electricity.
While progress on power reactors with foreign collaboration has been slow, India’s indigenous reactor program is going along just fine.
Four of the reactors are under construction: two each at Kakrapar and RAPP (Rajasthan) are indigenously designed 700 mw reactors. Work on another pair is expected to start in mid-2015 in Haryana, and six more are planned at three sites (see table below). These indigenously designed reactors appear set to be the workhorses of Indian nuclear program.
Source: Lok Sabha
India has been able to move ahead with these reactors because, unlike the past, fuel availability is no longer a problem.
Before 2008, India’s nuclear power reactors operated at 50% capacity because India did not produce sufficient uranium to run these reactors at full steam. As a non-signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, India was also locked out of the international nuclear marketplace and could not import fuel.
All this changed after the Indo-US nuclear deal. India has since imported uranium from Kazakhstan, Russia and France and is exploring similar agreements with other suppliers, such as Australia.
With more fuel available, capacity utilisation of nuclear power plants has improved from 50% in 2008-09 to more than 80% now (see table below).
India’s Nuclear Energy Generation (Million Units, Left) And Capacity Factor (%, Right)
Source: Lok Sabha, CEA
Currently, 1,940 MW, about 40% of India’s nuclear power capacity, operates under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and use imported fuel.
The cost of imported fuel for running these reactors is Rs 330 crore per annum. The low cost of fuel is one of the reasons nuclear power is cheaper than other fuels, such as coal or natural gas.
Compared to power plants using fossil fuels, such as coal or gas, nuclear power has high initial costs. However, fuel cost is a minor expense during the plant’s life, leading to lower lifetime costs for nuclear power compared to either coal or gas.
Nuclear Power Corporation in India (NPCIL) supplies electricity at a lower cost per unit compared to any other energy utility in the public or private sector. Given India’s status as a major importer of petroleum, natural gas and coal, this could be one way of keeping energy costs in check.
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Why India's nuclear power output is surging | Business Standard News