Indian Railways plans captive nuclear plants to cut rising fuel bill

[Brahmos_2]

NEW DELHI: Reeling under financial stress, railways is planning to set up captive nuclear power plants which will help the national transporter cut its fuel bill substantially and contribute to energy security.

"We are in talks with Nuclear Power Corporation to set up power plants at existing nuclear sites," Kul Bhushan, member (electrical), railway board, said.

The transporter will soon sign an MoU with the government PSU and is also exploring some options in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

The move is part of the strategy by railways, the country's largest high speed diesel consumer, to revisit its energy consumption considering recent hikes in diesel price for bulk users. Railways spent Rs 8,000 crore on electricity in 2012-13, while its diesel bill was around Rs 15,000 crore.

However, in terms of productivity, the larger share of work is done by electric locomotives. Around 65% of freight and 50% of passenger traffic is carried using such locomotives.

Among the strategies being worked out by railways is to increase electrification of tracks, increase production of electric locomotives and to set up captive power plants to ensure adequate and cheap power.

The transporter, which pays about Rs 5.4 a unit of electricity, is expecting to get electricity at Rs 4 or even less through its own captive power plants.

Railways is expecting to operationalize the first phase of its captive power plant at Nabi Nagar in Bihar in May 2014. "The 1000MW plant will be full operational by March 2015," Kul Bhushan said.

The state-run transporter is also hoping to fast-track commissioning of 2x660MW 'super critical' thermal power plant in Purulia's Adra in West Bengal. The Rs 7,700 crore project is a joint venture between NTPC and railways.

From the present level of 3,000MW of peak requirement, it is estimated that the demand for electricity over the next 10 years will be nearly 5,000MW. "These plants will bring down the cost at which electricity is available to us," Kul Bhushan said.

"The plan is to ensure cost-effective and environment-friendly solution for rail transport," he said.

Railways plans captive nuclear plants to cut rising fuel bill - The Times of India

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Good move

 

[Pulsar]

The DRDO should help design and make nuclear powered locomotives having independent propulsion instead! Now that would be a game changer! If they can make nuke powered spacecraft that are much smaller, then why not locos?

Hmmm...I must be loco even to suggest this hare brained idea!!

 

[Brahmos_2]

The DRDO should help design and make nuclear powered locomotives having independent propulsion instead! Now that would be a game changer! If they can make nuke powered spacecraft that are much smaller, then why not locos?

Hmmm...I must be loco even to suggest this hare brained idea!!

That is a risky idea....an accident may lead to a minor nuclear disaster.

 

[Major Shaitan Singh]

Russia already has Nuclear powered train. we can take help from them and design a miniature reactor or we can use the ATV reactor.

Russia designs nuclear train

Vice-president of Russian Railways (RZhD) Valentin Gapanovich says they will present the layout of the train by the end of this year. The train will consist of 11 wagons.

The engine of the train will be a small fast breeder reactor, and in its initial stage, the train will be a scientific exhibition complex.

The design is made by Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom.

- I looked at the design of the train, I liked it and I support the idea originally presented by Rosatom since it is a innovative way of develop nuclear energy, Gapanivich told Interfax.

The estimated cost of construction is still unclear, and nothing is yet said about the safety of such train.

This is not the first time the idea of a nuclear powered train is presented. Back in 1956, the Ministry of Transport of the USSR first time announced nuclear propulsion as a possibility for locomotives that could operate autonomously, without electricity or large amount of fuel. The Ministry then said such locomotives could be used in the High North and remote areas of Siberia, according to a back-ground article posted on the magazine Popularnaja Mehanika.

Another feature with the proposed nuclear powered train is that it can easily be converted to a mobile nuclear power plant, supplying energy to remote areas and industrial sites.

Russia is currently building the world’s first floating nuclear power plant. The barge to hold the reactors was set afloat in June last year at the yard in St. Petersburg.

The floating nuclear power plant is scheduled to be towed from St. Petersburg to the remote Russian Arctic region of Chukotka by the end of 2012, as previously reported

Russia designs nuclear train | Barentsobserver

 

[jarves]

Good news!!

 

[HariPrasad]

Railway guys are idiots. IIT had suggested one aerodynamic design of railway engine. If the engines are made of such design, the train will hit 200 KMPH in place of 160 KMPH and electricity of 3.50 crores will be saved against each engine.

 

[jarves]

Railway guys are idiots. IIT had suggested one aerodynamic design of railway engine. If the engines are made of such design, the train will hit 200 KMPH in place of 160 KMPH and electricity of 3.50 crores will be saved against each engine.

We are working on a 12000hp engine which will run with a speed of 200kmph

 

[Bharat Mata ki Jai]

We are working on a 12000hp engine which will run with a speed of 200kmph

Yes.

The Madhepura electric locomotive factory is expected to cost Rs12.93bn ($240m), while the diesel locomotive factory would cost around Rs20.52bn ($382m).

Both factories will be built in a joint venture (JV) with locomotive manufacturers to be selected via international competitive bidding (ICB).

Over a ten-year period after completion, the Madhepura plant will manufacture 800 electric locomotives of 12,000hp, while the Marhowra facility will produce 1,000 diesel locomotives of 4,500hp and 6,000hp.

 

[jarves]

Yes.

The Madhepura electric locomotive factory is expected to cost Rs12.93bn ($240m), while the diesel locomotive factory would cost around Rs20.52bn ($382m).

Both factories will be built in a joint venture (JV) with locomotive manufacturers to be selected via international competitive bidding (ICB).

Over a ten-year period after completion, the Madhepura plant will manufacture 800 electric locomotives of 12,000hp, while the Marhowra facility will produce 1,000 diesel locomotives of 4,500hp and 6,000hp.

Can you give links for this???
The engines which i was talking about will be indigenously designed by us.

 

[Bharat Mata ki Jai]

Can you give links for this???
The engines which i was talking about will be indigenously designed by us.

i can not post link as per pdf rules

 

[jarves]

i can not post link as per pdf rules

Can you go through this link for me??
I have badly messed up my bookmarks and some error message is popping up again and again.

Does this talk about indigenouly devloped 12000hp engines??

http://www.rdso.indianrailways.gov.in/works/uploads/File/MP.0.49.00.21_May_13.pdf

 

[Dem!god]

Russia already has Nuclear powered train. we can take help from them and design a miniature reactor or we can use the ATV reactor.

Russia designs nuclear train

Vice-president of Russian Railways (RZhD) Valentin Gapanovich says they will present the layout of the train by the end of this year. The train will consist of 11 wagons.

The engine of the train will be a small fast breeder reactor, and in its initial stage, the train will be a scientific exhibition complex.

The design is made by Russia’s State Atomic Energy Corporation, Rosatom.

- I looked at the design of the train, I liked it and I support the idea originally presented by Rosatom since it is a innovative way of develop nuclear energy, Gapanivich told Interfax.

The estimated cost of construction is still unclear, and nothing is yet said about the safety of such train.

This is not the first time the idea of a nuclear powered train is presented. Back in 1956, the Ministry of Transport of the USSR first time announced nuclear propulsion as a possibility for locomotives that could operate autonomously, without electricity or large amount of fuel. The Ministry then said such locomotives could be used in the High North and remote areas of Siberia, according to a back-ground article posted on the magazine Popularnaja Mehanika.

Another feature with the proposed nuclear powered train is that it can easily be converted to a mobile nuclear power plant, supplying energy to remote areas and industrial sites.

Russia is currently building the world’s first floating nuclear power plant. The barge to hold the reactors was set afloat in June last year at the yard in St. Petersburg.

The floating nuclear power plant is scheduled to be towed from St. Petersburg to the remote Russian Arctic region of Chukotka by the end of 2012, as previously reported

Russia designs nuclear train | Barentsobserver

but how does it work.....
installing a miniature nuclear power plant in train....that a big deal...b'coz for producing power you need steam and for steam you need constant supply of water ..though the same water is reused in the cycle....but still you need extra....for continuous supply.... and you need enormous water to cool the reactor too.......

 

[trident2010]

Good news !!

 

[kinsr]

Nuclear energy? i dont think that is the right decision.

Indian Railways is the largest govt body which holds the largest chunk on land in India. I wonder why don't they try to put solar panel over the railway tracks. With 65,000 kms of railway tracks, they can not only generate electricity for themselves, they can also provide excess of generated electricity to the national grid, thus earning revenues for the IR. This model was used with RailTel, IR's pan India high capacity fibre optic network.
Gujarat tried this, by putting solar panels over the canals, why cant the Indian Railways do it? The cost of producing electricity from solar energy is cheaper and safer than a nuclear reactor. And once Indian Railways can embark upon this method, this will encourage production of solar equipments locally, thus bringing down the production cost further.