Nuclear Power in India

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IDN TAKE: Agreement With Russia For Setting up Kudankulam Units 5 & 6

An Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) between Government of India and Government of Russian Federation was signed in December 2008 for setting up units 3 to 6 at Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu in technical cooperation with Russian Federation. Discussions on the draft General Framework Agreement for setting up Units 5 & 6 (KNPP 5 & 6) are currently in progress.

The project is planned to be set up on technical cooperation basis with shared scope of work. The Indian private industry would be involved in supply of equipment, execution of the works contracts, providing services in Indian scope of work and localisation of components.

The Kudankulam site was found to have an optimum potential for locating six units each of 1000 MW by the Site Selection Committee of the Government. The Government accorded ‘in principle’ approval for setting up of Units 5 & 6 at Kudankulam in October 2009, in addition to Units 1 & 2 then under construction and Units 3 & 4 which were accorded ‘in principle’ approval earlier. Regarding the cost of Units 5 & 6, discussions are in progress on the Techno-Commercial Offer submitted by the Russian side. The cost will emerge on conclusion of the discussions.

Admin - IDN

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Fuel loading begins at Unit II of Kudankulam nuclear plant

A view of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, in Tirunelveli district, Tamil Nadu. Photo: N. Rajesh
_____________________________________________
Exercise likely to be completed in 10 days; power generation to begin by June

Power generation in the second reactor of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project is likely to commence before the first week of June as loading of enriched uranium fuel in the reactor began on Wednesday night.

Sources in the KKNPP told The Hindu that robotic loading of 163 enriched uranium fuel assemblies, each measuring about 4.57 meters and weighing about 705 Kg, began on Wednesday and the exercise was likely to be completed in 10 days.

‘Hot run’

“If it is completed as planned, the reactor will be ready for criticality, which will be taken up after getting mandatory nod from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board,” the sources said.

After preparing the second 1,000-MWE VVER reactor, being built with Russian assistance, for the ‘hot run’, the KKNPP started the exercise last year. During this test, the second reactor, its associated closed primary coolant pipelines, secondary coolant circuits, and the concrete reactor containment building demonstrated the strength and integrity prior to reactor start-up.

The reactor pressure vessel, the main coolant pipelines and every part of the reactor were tested during the ‘hot run’ by sophisticated robotic systems to ascertain whether these could withstand extreme factors as per the design specifications.

After an analysis by the Russian and KKNPP experts and the representatives of AERB at the KKNPP complex, the data obtained during the ‘hot run’ and subsequent inspections were forwarded to the AERB for its final nod for removing the dummy fuel assemblies and loading the 163 uranium fuel assemblies.

Since the experts were satisfied with the hot run data, the dummy fuel assemblies were removed and the AERB gave permission for actual fuel loading.

Safeguards

Officials added that this was the first nuclear power plant in the world where the post-Fukushima safety enhancement requirements had been implemented and were being operated successfully.

Russia is building the KKNPP under a 1988 intergovernmental agreement. Unit 1 of KKNPP, India’s most powerful nuclear reactor till date, was commissioned in autumn 2013 and was restarted after a scheduled preventive maintenance on June 23, 2015. India and Russia had agreed to set up six VVER-1000 type reactors of 1000MW each at Kudunkulam to be supplied by Rosatom State Corporation of Russia.

Russians have emphasised that theirs is the only active civil nuclear cooperation as nuclear cooperation with the U.S. and France has been repeatedly delayed.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Framework agreement for Kudankulam Units 5, 6 to be signed this year

MOSCOW: The general framework agreement between India and Russia for Units five and six of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is expected to be signed this year, said a top Russian official.

V.L. Limarenko, President of ASE Group that along with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) has built the Kudankulam plant, said: "The contract for Unit three and four has been concluded. We have commenced the design and manufacturing of the main equippment."

Addressing a press conference at the Atomexpo 2016 here, he said: "We have defined the configuration and negotiations are on for the final configuration of Units four and five. This year, we plan to sign a general framework agreement for these units."

The first unit of the plant is already functional, while fuel has been loaded in the second unit which is likely to start functioning by July this year. There are four more units that now remain to be constructed.

Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant is a joint project between India and Russia in Tamil Nadu.

It is the first nuclear power plant in the world where, post Fukushima, safety enhancement requirements have been implemented.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India doesn't lag in developing thorium-fuelled nuclear-reactor: MR Srinivasan, former AEC chairman

MR Srinivasan, former AEC chairman said that India has not been slow in developing next generation nuclear reactors that would use thorium as a fuel. and such notions are misconceived.

NEW DELHI: There is a misconception that the Indian atomic energy programme has been slow in developing breeder reactors that will be fuelled by the country's vast thorium deposits, a foremost nuclear expert says.

"India has not been slow in developing next generation nuclear reactors that would use thorium as a fuel. Such notions are misconceived. No one in the world is ahead of us in this direction," former Atomic Energy Commission (AEC ) chairman and ex-secretary Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) M.R. Srinivasan told IANS in a telephonic interview from Ooty.

Describing the claims in this regard as "publicity seeking", Srinivasan spoke of the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR) as the latest Indian design for a next-generation nuclear reactor. In its final stages of development, the AHWR is being tested at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre ( BARC ) in Mumbai as part of the third stage of India's nuclear energy programme, which envisages the use of thorium fuel cycles for generating commercial power.

"Using thorium is a time-consuming process. By itself it is not a fuel, it is a potential fuel placed in the reactor and some other fissile material is needed to convert it into Uranium 233," he pointed out.

The AHWR will be fuelled by a mix of uranium-233 converted from thorium, and plutonium. Uranium-233 is the reactor fuel for this third stage of the Indian nuclear power programme.

"The Advanced Heavy Water Reactor design has been made and it will start work next year," Srinivasan said.

The AHWRs are expected to shorten the period of achieving large-scale utilization of thorium. A second version of the AHWR, being tested, will use low enriched uranium along with thorium.

India's thorium deposits, estimated at 360,000 tonnes, far outweigh its natural uranium deposits at 70,000 tonnes. The country's thorium reserves make up 25 percent of the global reserves.

"India currently has a large data base and experimental information on thorium radiation. However, large scale commercial generation of electricity will only be possible around 2030 and we are in no way behind the others," Srinivasan said.

The key to the AWHR's development is India's second stage of nuclear power generation that envisages the use of Plutonium-239 , obtained from the first stage reactor operation, as the fuel core in fast breeder reactors (FBR). Pu-239 is the primary fissile element used in the FBR.

The former AEC chairman explained that a blanket of U-238 surrounding the FBR fuel core will undergo nuclear transmutation to produce fresh Pu-239 as more and more Pu-239 is consumed during the operation.

A 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor is in an advanced stage of completion at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu and will be operational next year, he said.

"Thorium utilisation in the third stage will reduce India's dependence on fossil fuels and will be a major contribution to global efforts to combat climate change," Srinivasan said.

Besides, U-233 fuelled AHWRs will have a thorium blanket around the reactor core which will generate more U-233 as the reactor goes operational, resulting in the production of more and more uranium fuel that would help sustain long-term fuel requirements for power generation, he added.

According to Srinivasan, the currently known Indian thorium reserves can result in the generation of 358,000 gigawatt-year (GWe-yr) of electrical energy and can easily meet the energy requirements during the next century and beyond.

He said the AHWRs are also the most secure and safe reactors and could be set up close to densely-populated regions.

In this connection, Russia has offered India a new range of reactor units - the VVER-Toi (typical optimised, enhanced information) design - for the third and fourth units of the Kudankulam project in Tamil Nadu being built by its atomic power corporation Rosatom, whose Atomexpo conference gets under way in Moscow from Monday.

An inter-governmental agreement between India and Russia was signed in December 2008 for setting up Kudankulam's units 3 to 6. The ground-breaking ceremony for construction of units 3 and 4 was performed earlier this year.

"All the Russian built units at Kudankulam, including the first and second, are 'Generation 3 plus' reactors. They meet all current safety requirements," Srinivasan said.

"Their design has benefited from the review conducted of nuclear accidents like Three-Mile Island (US) and Fukushima (Japan)," he added.

READ MORE:
world|Thorium|tamil nadu|Mumbai|MR Srinivasan|India

 

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India plans to build 11 nuclear reactors with Russia's support
June 16, 2016 INTERFAX
Indian ambassador says the joint projects are a part of a roadmap.

The Kudankulam nuclear power plant. Source: Rosatom

India would like to build 11 nuclear reactors with Russia's assistance, Indian Ambassador to Russia Pankaj Saran said at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum on June 16.

“The first reactor has already started to operate. It is generating 1,000 megawatts of electricity,” Saran said. “It was built with Russia's help. Another five will be built. It means that we will have six reactors each with a capacity of 1,000 megawatts.”

Saran said he was convinced that joint projects would help “bring India's energy sector to a new level.”

“We have an agreement with Russia for another site and we will build another six reactors there,” he said, adding that today there was a roadmap covering “many years to come.”

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Most nuclear reactors in coastal states, government plans marine force

The notification which designates these new polices stations to investigate matters pertaining to coastal security was published this week, said home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.

MUMBAI: The home ministry is considering setting up a marine police force to augment safety of the 7,500km coastline in the country.

This was one of the suggestions made by Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis during a meeting chaired by home minister Rajnath Singh in the city to review coastal security , which has been a concern since the 2611 terror attacks and also because most of the nuclear reactors are close to the sea.

A training institute for the force will be set up in Gujarat. Ten new coastal police stations have been notified to tackle crime along the coasts. Earlier, there was only one yellow gate police station in the city designated to deal with coastal security issues. The notification which designates these new polices stations to investigate matters pertaining to coastal security was published this week, said home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.

It was also suggested that all major port sites be brought under e-surveillance to monitor the activity at those spots. Singh said an additonal 38 static radars that will be operated by the coast guards will be installed.Around 45 such radars have already been set up. Another issue discussed was to increase the efficiency of checking I-cards allotted to over 65 lakh fishermen by introducing biometrics.

READ MORE:
Rajnath Singh|Rajiv Mehrishi|Maharashtra|Gujarat|Devendra Fadnavis

 

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First batch of nuclear fuel pellets from Russia to arrive in India in July-end

New Delhi: The first batch of nuclear fuel pellets - over 60 tonnes - to be supplied to India by Russia is expected to be delivered by the end of July, the Russian suppliers have said.

The pellets are expected to be delivered 26-29 July, said officials from TVEL, the fuel company of Russian atomic power corporation Rosatom.

The fuel is meant for the pressurized heavy-water reactors already functioning in India.

"Technical acceptance of the first batch of pellets to be supplied in 2016 to the Indian Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) has been successfully completed at the Machine Engineering Plant of TVEL," Andrew Pyrinov, head of the department of technical control of the Machine Engineering Plant, told IANS.

Technical Acceptance is the procedure to check if there are any defects in products. The extensive programme involves checking of all technical documentation by the buyer, which in this case is India.

The programme included the presence of NFC representatives during the production of fuel pellets and storage of finished products.

Pyrinov said the acceptance was completed without any inquiries from the Indian side.

A long-term contract for the supply of fuel pellets for the Indian nuclear power plants was concluded on February 11, 2009 in Mumbai between JSC TVEL and the Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India.

The Russian company was the first to sign a long term contract to supply nuclear fuel to India's PHWR reactors after the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) had removed the restrictions on the supply of uranium, reactors and technology to the India on 6 September, 2008.

The first delivery of nuclear fuel to the Nuclear Fuel Complex in Hyderabad (India) took place in spring 2009. The fuel pellets made in Elektrostal, Russia are used in Indian nuclear reactors.

The Nuclear Fuel Complex was established 1971 as a major industrial unit of Department of Atomic Energy, for supplying nuclear fuel to the plants.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Second unit of Kudankulam Nuclear power plant will be operational today in evening.
Source: Zee News

 

[Indx TechStyle]

As I told before:
Reactor 2 of Kudankulam nuclear plant becomes operational

TIRUNELVELI: The much awaited Unit-2 (Reactor-2) of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) attained criticality at 8.56 pm on Sunday, the officials declared here.

The 163 uranium assemblies in the Unit -2 (Reactor -2) of KKNPP had been loaded in the Reactor 2 (Unit-2) on May, 2016. The uranium loading process took 8 days. Follwing which, tests including the containment leak test, reactor pressure vessel, piping line and system equipments, hydro test and steam generation test were conducted.

The tests results were submitted to Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for clearance.

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board gave the clearance for conducting First Approach to Criticality (FAC) in the end of June. Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board also gave its clearance.

Since the clearance of the Ministry of Environment and Forests was only left, a team from from Ministry of Environment and Forests visited the nuclear plant on July 1 and 2 , inspecting the unit-2.

Sources said then Ministery of Environment and Forest clearance submitted its affidavit at the apex court on July 8.

The same day late evening, the criticallity process ( First Approach to Criticality) started at 7.52 pm in Unit-2 of the nuclear plant.

It had to take around 48 hours for the Unit-2 to attain criticality. Slowly the Reactor -2 is nearing criticality which was supervised by NPCIL, Russian experts and AERB.

Boron (a neutron absorber) in used in the form of boric acid solution in the primary coolant to keep the nucelar reactor in a sub-critical state before attaining criticiality. The process of approach to criticality involved gradual dilution of Boron. It allows neutrons in the nuclear fuel matrix to multiply till a controlled self sustaining nuclear fission reaction attained in the reactor.

NPCIL officials said that Criticality means starting of controlled self sustaining fission chain reaction (neutron chain reaction). The ground break of the Unit-2 of KKNPP had been conducted in 2001 and the pour of concrete was done the next year.

After around 15 years, the Unit-2 has attaining criticality for the first time.

As 562. 50 MWe power generated from Unit-1 of KKNPP is being alloted to Tamil Nadu, it is expected that the same amount of power to be allotted to the home state from Unit-2.

Of the twin VVER reactors each 1000 MWe electricity generation capacity at KKNPP in Tirunelveli district, being implemented in technical collaboration with Russian Federation, Unit-1 is generating its second cycle of power production.

In 2013, AERB had granted clearance for ‘First Approach to Criticality” (FAC) of Unit-1 of KKNPP, started the FAC on July 11, 2013.

Then with in 48 hours, the plant attained criticality (start of controlled self sustaining fission chain reaction for the first time) on July 13, 2013.

The Unit-1 was synchronized to the Southern Grid on October 22, 2013.

Following which, the Unit-1 achieved power generation of 1000 MWe for the first time on June7, 2014. Then, KKNPP Unit-1 was declared commercial operation from midnight on 31st December, 2014.

Unit-1, was shut down on 24 June last year for Annual Maintenance and Refueling Outage.

Thought the officials said that the Annual Maintenance and Refueling Outage would take a period of 60 days, power generation was not started for more than 7 months.

Finally, 2nd cycle of power generation was started at the end of January this year.

S K Sharma, chairman and managing director of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) also present here on Sunday.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Kudankulam a lesson in building new nuclear plants

Close Interaction With Foreign Engineers Must

As India seeks to ramp up its nuclear power generation with new plants, it may well draw upon its experience in Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu. With the Union government opting to have plants of all commercial designs in the market, Kudankulam holds valuable lessons on how to install and operate new nuclear power technology. Experts suggest that the first unit in any of the proposed sites should be run by the equipment supplier for a few years until Indian engineers learn the ropes.

When Kudankulam Unit 2 went critical on Sunday, plant engineers were confident this unit will have a smooth sailing unlike Unit 1. With its frequent start-stops and shutdowns, Unit 1 had a poor operating record until recently. Its problems were not just teething troubles in equipment but legal, political and other hurdles that set off a chain of events. The Fukushima accident and the 2011 protests led to stalling of work. "There was pressure from the Russian company that their engineers sitting idle should be redeployed in other countries where the Russian reactor, VVER, was being commissioned. All of them left the site. After the protests died down, our engineers had to pick up the thread and do many things on their own without any assistance from the Russians," says former head of Atomic Energy Commission M R Srinivasan.

Indian nuclear power engineers are masters of the Canadian design, but that wasn't quite enough to install a greenfield Russian VVER plant. Without Russian presence, many missteps happened, say observers. "The whole control system had to be re-laid when the Russian drawings came later because what we went ahead with originally was based on our knowledge of the Canadian plant," says former chairman of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board A Gopalakrishnan.

When Unit 1 was finally commissioned, other troubles followed suit, though by then Russian assistance on site was available. Plant engineers cite a new and upgraded valve control system that had to be incorporated, which led to delays in bringing back the plant online. This extended the annual maintenance shutdown that started in March, 2015.

But the silver lining was that whatever changes were being made in Unit 1 could be incorporated in Unit 2 as its installation was underway . "Such changes in Unit 2 have meant no new problems were encountered in it," says site director R S Sundar. While the Unit 2 reactor attained criticality within a few days of fuel loading, it took nearly six months for Unit 1. Site engineers say Unit 2 operation has been smooth so far.

Things would have been much better if India had followed the international practice like the Chinese did, says Gopalakrishnan. "Similar VVER reactors are operating in Tianwan in China but constructed using the concept of reference plant. The Russians took 100% responsibility, brought their own equipment, selected the Chinese engineers who were working there but the Russians had complete control over them. All liability was initially with Russians. After two or three years of satisfactory operation as Russian reactors, they became Chinese plants. That's the way to go about it, especially in new technology," he adds.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India imported 600 tonnes of uranium from Russia, Canada last year

New Delhi: Under bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreements, India imported over 345 tonnes of uranium from Russia and 250 tonnes from Canada during 2015-16 to fuel Indian nuclear plants, parliament was told on Wednesday.

In a written reply to the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh said that India has earlier imported 297 metric tonnes (MT) of uranium in 2014-15 also from TVEL, the fuel company of Rosatom, Russia's state-run atomic energy corporation.

During 2014-15, 283.4 MT of uranium was imported from the state-run Kazatomprom of Kazakhstan, the minister added.

In connection with the related issue of the latest Indian bid for a Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership, that would allow it to trade in nuclear materials and technology, parliament was told that India's plea tabled at the NSG's Vienna meeting in May was foiled by China on the grounds that New Delhi has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

"While no nation explicitly opposed India's membership, one country raised procedural objections ostensibly on grounds of India's non-NPT status," External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj told the Lok sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.

"The broad sentiment was to take the matter forward. Consultations on the issue of membership are ongoing within the NSG," she added.

"It is important for us to be part of the 'rule making' in the NSG rather than be in a position of 'rule taking," the minister said.

"Membership of the NSG would create a predictable environment for the large investments required for setting up nuclear power plants in India, inter alia, to meet India's Intended Nationally Determined Contribution pledge of 40 per cent of its power capacity coming from non-fossil sources by 2030," Sushma Swaraj added.

IANS

 

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India Skeptical of Buying Untested US Nuclear Reactors
India unlikely to buy GE Hitachi Nuclear Reactors that have not been tried and tested previously in already operational nuclear power plants.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — According to Secretary in India's Department of Atomic Energy, Sekhar Basu, "Right now US have offered us reactors that do not have a reference plant. So we will not buy a reactor that does not have a reference plant."

As per the Indo-US nuclear commerce deal GE Hitachi has signed an agreement for supplying reactors for an atomic power plant at Kovvada in the south Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

But India is wary of GE nuclear reactors as they have not been tested before.

India has also signed agreements with Westinghouse Electric Co, Electricite de France SA and Russia's JSC Atomstroyexport for the purchase of nuclear reactors.

During Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to US later this month India's Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and Toshiba owned US firm Westinghouse had signed deal for setting up six nuclear reactors in India.

India-Russia nuclear cooperation could be a safer option. Russian nuclear reactors are tried and tested and safe, and India wants the same reliability from the nuclear reactors offered by GE and Westinghouse.

India has grand plans to expand its nuclear power generation capacity by 10 fold by 2032.

Tags: Purchase, GE Hitachi Nuclear Reactors, Narendra Modi, United States, India

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Ready to assist India in developing civil nuclear energy, says China

The statement by the Chinese diplomat however is not any indication whether China will alter its position at the extraordinary meeting of NSG in November in Vienna.

NEW DELHI: China is ready to assist India in developing civil nuclear energy declared Chinese Deputy Ambassador to India Liu Jinsong while speaking at a closed door meet of the National Defence College less than 48 hours after Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj blamed Beijing for blocking DELHI's membership in the coveted Nuclear Suppliers Group.

Less than a month after Beijing blocked India's membership in NSG Liu, in an attempt to build confidence, stated, "Chinese enterprises, provinces and cities are actively participating in development programs like "Make in India", "Smart Cities", "Skill India" and "Swachh Bharat", and we are ready to assist India in developing civil nuclear energy." The lecture titled -- 'China's Security and Diplomatic Doctrine In a Globalised Era' - was delivered at NDC on Thursday within a day of Swaraj's remarks in Parliament on China's obstructionist role in NSG.

The statement by the Chinese diplomat however is not any indication whether China will alter its position at the extraordinary meeting of NSG in November in Vienna that will discuss India's membership.
Beijing had earlier put forward civil nuclear cooperation proposal in 2014 when President Xi Jinping visited India but the idea did not make headway. It is understood that Delhi is not confident of the quality of China's nuclear technology which has been adopted from advanced Western countries.

"I am saying it today on the floor of the house that China introduced procedural hurdles, the main being on whether a non-NPT state can have NSG status... It is true that this was the reason for the non-decision on India's application," Swaraj said in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday. She was replying to a question raised by Sugata Bose of the TMC.

New Delhi had till then not named China and had maintained that a "single country" had blocked its bid to become a member of the NSG at its Seoul meeting. Swaraj however, said that it did not mean that the NSG doors were closed to India forever and added that the government is engaging with China to iron out differences.

Trying to reach out to the audience that comprised top military officials Liu also focused on the some of strategic issues. "...China do not play other countries against each, nor do we permit other countries to play the China card," claimed the top diplomat without any reference to Pakistan. In reality though Islamabad has more often than not played China card against India. Nepal too has played the China card from time to time vis-a-vis Delhi.

Liu in fact claimed that China has never thought of containing or balancing India, and there is no such thing as the "Pearl String Strategy" whatsoever. "Nor does China believe that India will allow itself to be used as a chess piece to contain China," he suggested without any direct reference to growing Indo-US strategic ties. Some Chinese commentators have claimed that US is wooing India to hedge Chinese ambitions in the region.

Referring to the recent Hague verdict that has dismissed China's historical claims in South China Sea region Liu tried to assuage Delhi's concerns. "The freedom of navigation and overflight and other rights enjoyed by India in the South China Sea have will be fully guaranteed, both now and in future." He in fact went to claim that India is not a threat to China but rather a strategic partner.

Seeking India's endorsement for 'One Belt One Road' strategy, Liu sought expansion of trade and investment partnership. "Our cooperation in both hardware and software and the interplay of the dragon and the elephant has changed the world and will continue to do so."

READ MORE:
Xi Jinping|World|US|Technology|Sushma Swaraj|South China Sea|Pakistan

 

[piKacHHu]

Chinese seems to be playing their cards well; on one hand they are opposing our NSG bid so that we can't commercially project our PHWRs to other countries and with another they are enticing us with their offer in reactor technology wrapped in the guise of bargain to enter in NSG. As we have evolved the CANDU based PHWRs from 220 & 540 to 700 MWe, it worries China because it provides a better and cheaper option as compared to the chinese reactors. A PHWR based on natural Uranium fuel will not require uranium enrichment process . For a small and middle income country, it is not affordable to dwell deep into enrichment process as it could invite wrath of nuclear powers in the form of sanctions (Libya, Iraq, Iran etc.). So natural uranium based fuel is a cheaper option with good availability. Also, PHWR doesn't require fabrication tech for making pressure vessel as in the case of PWRs/BWRs. Coupled with many other factors, I think PHWRs can become a cheaper, safe, and affordable option for a country opting for nuclear power first time as in the case of India in 1970s when we decided to go with CANDU reactors.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Russia Biggest Support in Creating Uranium Reserve for India
India aims to create 15000 MT uranium reserve to fuel its nuclear reactors.

New Delhi (Sputnik) — Russia is the biggest contributor to India's 'strategic uranium reserve'. India's Prime Minister's Office, in a written reply to Parliament, said "Russian firm JSC TVEL Corporation is supplying uranium to India.

In 2015-16, India imported 303.78 megatons of Natural Uranium Di-oxide Pellets while 42.15 megatons in the form of Enriched Uranium Di-oxide Pellets from Russia. In 2014-15, imports from Russia totaled 296.54 megatons."

Apart from Russia, Kazakhstan and Canada also supply uranium to India. India imported 250.74 megatons of Natural Uranium Ore-Concentrate from the Canadian firm Cameco in 2015-16. No consignment arrived from Kazakhstan during the same period.

Sources say that India is planning to create 15,000 megatons of strategic uranium reserve for its nuclear reactors. Apart from the Hyderabad Nuclear Fuel Complex, India is also building another nuclear fuel complex in its western part. India has 21 working nuclear power reactors, with an installed generating capacity of 5,780 MWe. Out of these, 13 reactors comply with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards and are eligible for imported fuel.

Apart from these 21 nuclear reactors, Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for the Prime Minister's Office says, "the Kudankulam Unit-2 also attained first criticality (start of controlled self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction in the reactor for the first time) on July 10, 2016. This unit also uses imported fuel."

Tags: Uranium, Support, Russia, India

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Nuclear Hub: India’s Andhra Pradesh to Get US, Russian Nuclear Power Plants
The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh is well on its way to becoming a nuclear-powered state, as both Japanese-American and Russian nuclear power projects are slated to be built there.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) — The Indian state of Andhra Pradesh will soon be home to the world's largest nuclear power units. All the credit goes to the state's Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, who is striving to make it the country's nuclear energy hub.

Before Prime Minister Narendra Modi embarked on a visit to the US last month, Toshiba Corp's Westinghouse Electric announced that it will be relocating a proposed project to build six nuclear reactors from Mithi Vardi in Gujarat to Andhra Pradesh.

Apart from the Japanese-owned US company, Russia's state nuclear power company Rosatom will also build its next nuclear power plant in Andhra Pradesh after completing the Kudankulam plant in Tamil Nadu. Andhra Pradesh government sources told Sputnik that Rosatom is likely to build six power plants in the state.

The power plant will probably be in the Nellore district of Andhra Pradesh, sources told Sputnik.

During his recent visit to Russia, Naidu pitched that he will provide all the necessary infrastructure for the establishment of nuclear power plants in his state. The delegation to Russia was led by Indian Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. Chandrababu Naidu also met with Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev.

Another Russian nuclear power project to build six VVER reactors in Haripur, West Bengal is likely to be moved to Andhra Pradesh due to protests by local residents.

"1,200 MW VVER Nuclear Reactors will be constructed there (Andhra Pradesh) with the safest, most up-to-date technology. Currently the location of one more site for the construction of six new Russian-designed nuclear reactors is being considered by India. We hope to get more information about the new site soon," sources in Rosatom told Sputnik.

Apart from Westinghouse, another US-Japanese company, GE-Hitachi, was aslo allocated a site in Andhra Pradesh to build six Economic Simplified Boiling Water Reactors. However, the project has been put on hold as India is wary of GE- Hitachi nuclear reactors as they have not been tested before.

Therefore, if everything goes according to plan, Andhra Pradesh will be home to more than a dozen nuclear reactors.

Tags:
Nuclear Reactor, Nuclear Power Plant, Andhra Pradesh, India

 

[Akask kumar]

Chinese seems to be playing their cards well; on one hand they are opposing our NSG bid so that we can't commercially project our PHWRs to other countries and with another they are enticing us with their offer in reactor technology wrapped in the guise of bargain to enter in NSG. As we have evolved the CANDU based PHWRs from 220 & 540 to 700 MWe, it worries China because it provides a better and cheaper option as compared to the chinese reactors. A PHWR based on natural Uranium fuel will not require uranium enrichment process . For a small and middle income country, it is not affordable to dwell deep into enrichment process as it could invite wrath of nuclear powers in the form of sanctions (Libya, Iraq, Iran etc.). So natural uranium based fuel is a cheaper option with good availability. Also, PHWR doesn't require fabrication tech for making pressure vessel as in the case of PWRs/BWRs. Coupled with many other factors, I think PHWRs can become a cheaper, safe, and affordable option for a country opting for nuclear power first time as in the case of India in 1970s when we decided to go with CANDU reactors.

plus our Thorium based reactors will get developed by next year..this will end Uranium-Uranium debate.. i dnt care if we get NSG or not if THorium reactors get operational in 3-4 years..

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Uranium Imports: A critical dose to step up generation
The performance and success of India’s nuclear power generation hinges on the import of the fuel to a great extent. A steady supply of uranium is good news.
WRITTEN BY ANIL SASI | NEW DELHI |

By the end of this calendar year, nearly 3,000 metric tonnes (MT) of nuclear fuel is likely to be shipped into India from three countries — the Russian Federation, Canada and the Republic of Kazakhstan. The uranium shipments expected in 2016 is a record for a single year and would, in quantitative terms, amount to nearly 53 per cent of total nuclear fuel imported into India since the country’s access to the global nuclear fuel market opened up in 2008.

Till now, about 5,559 MT has come into the country from these three nations, alongside France, while 2,937 MT is the anticipated supplies of nuclear fuel in the form of natural uranium ore concentrate and natural uranium oxide pellets during calendar year 2016. In India, there are currently 21 reactors with an installed capacity of 5,780 MWe (mega watt electrical), of which, eight reactors with aggregate capacity of 2,400 MWe are fuelled by indigenous uranium while the remaining 13 with a capacity of 3,380 MWe are under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Safeguards and use imported uranium. The second unit of the Kudankulam nuclear project (1,000 MWe Unit-2) has also attained first criticality (start of controlled self-sustaining nuclear fission chain reaction in the reactor for the first time) on July 10, 2016, which also uses imported fuel.

A steady supply of uranium is good news for the country’s nuclear power sector, something that is expected to push up the performance of Indian nuclear power plants, as well as of the several fuel cycle facilities. The capacity factor — or operational efficiency — of the 21 nuclear power reactors currently running in the country was recorded at 73 per cent in the first three months of the current fiscal (April-June 2016). This includes the operational data for the first unit of the Kudankulam power project.

An improvement in gross nuclear generation in the coming months could be powered by a combination of two factors: international cooperation leading to augmentation of fuel supplies to 13 reactors that qualify for imported fuel, and a commensurate improvement in domestic fuel supplies for the other eight. Under the “separation plan” announced by the government in March 2006, negotiated after the July 2005 nuclear deal with the US, India was required to bring 14 reactors under IAEA Safeguards in a phased manner. Thirteen of these reactors — including RAPS 2 to 6 at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan, KAPS 1 and 2 at Kakrapar, Gujarat, NAPS 1 and 2 at Narora, Uttar Pradesh, TAPS 1 and 2 at Tarapur, Maharashtra, Kudankulam 1 in Tamil Nadu — are already under IAEA safeguards, and eligible to run on imported fuel. They are now operating at close to full capacity, officials of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), which runs the country’s nuclear power plants, said. The other reactors — KGS 1 to 4 at Kaiga, Karnataka, MAPS 1 and 2 at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, and TAPS 3 and 4 at Tarapur, Maharashtra — continue to use uranium sourced within the country.

Official sources said that the Department of Atomic Energy reckons the annual fuel need for operating the indigenous pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) at 85 per cent capacity is about 45 tonnes of uranium dioxide for the older 220 MWe units, 100 tonnes for the 540 MWe units and 125 tonnes for the new 700 MWe units. By contrast, the need of low enriched uranium for operating imported light water reactors (LWRs) at 85 per cent capacity factor are six tonnes for the older 160 MWe Tarapur units and 27 tonnes for 1,000 MWe units such as the twin Russian-built VVER-1000 reactor units at Kudankulam.

The total installed capacity is scheduled to go up to 9,980 MWe at the end of the current five-year plan period (March 2017), as seven new reactors are commissioned. These include the imported LWRs of Russian design, four indigenous PHWRs, and one indigenous prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR).

NPCIL had planned to start work on 16 new reactors with a total capacity of 16,100 MWe during the Twelfth Plan (2012-17). These included eight indigenous PHWRs of 700 MWe each with a total capacity of 5,600 MWe and eight LWRs based on international cooperation — with Russia, France and the US — totaling to a capacity of 10,500 MWe.

JSC TVEL Corporation, Russia

Date of Contract: 11.02.2009
Total Quantity to be procured: 2000 MT of Natural Uranium Oxide Pellets.
Total Quantity received: 1813 MT
Anticipated delivery in 2016: 187 MT
Status: The fuel is being procured through the Annual Supplements to the Contract, which concludes with the import of 187 MT of Pellets.

Date of Contract: 11.02.2009
Quantity to be procured: 58 MT of Enriched Uranium Oxide Pellets..
Total Quantity received: 58.30 MT
Anticipated delivery in 2016: Nil
Status: The Contract concluded with one-time supply of the fuel during 2009.

Date of Contract: 03.03.2015
Quantity to be procured: 42 MT of Enriched Uranium Oxide Pellets.
Total Quantity received: 42.15 MT
Anticipated delivery in 2016: Nil
Status: The Contract concluded with one-time supply of the fuel during 2015.
JSC NAC KazatomProm, Kazakhstan

Date of Contract: 12.11.2009
Quantity to be procured: 2100 MT of Natural Uranium Ore Concentrate.
Total Quantity received: 2095.9 MT
Anticipated delivery in 2016:Nil
Status: The Contract concluded during 2014.

Date of Contract: 08.07.2015
Quantity to be procured: The Contract permits procurement of a minimum of 3750 MT and maximum 7000 MT of Natural Uranium Ore Concentrate.
Total Quantity received: 999.807 MT
Anticipated delivery in 2016:1500 MT
Status: The material is to be procured during 2015–2019.

AREVA, France

Date of Contract:17.12.2008
Total Quantity to be procured:300 MT of Natural Uranium Ore Concentrate.
Total Quantity received: 299.88 MT
Anticipated delivery in 2016: Nil
Status: The contract with Areva concluded with a one-time supply of the fuel during 2009.

Cameco, Canada

Date of Contract: 15.04.2015
Total Quantity to be procured: The Contract permits procurement of a minimum of 2750 MT and maximum 5500 MT of Natural Uranium Ore Concentrate
Total Quantity received: 250.74 MT
Anticipated delivery in 2016: 1,250 MT
Status: The nuclear fuel is to be procured during 2015–2020.

(Source: DAE)

 

[Indx TechStyle]

India seen as responsible nuclear technology country, says Anil Kakodkar

The former Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) director said the issue of inclusion of India in the NSG is a matter of discussion and negotiation.

KOLKATA: Batting for nuclear energy as key to delivering on the Paris Climate Change Summit commitments, former Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar on Thursday expressed optimism over India being included in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

"We have to negotiate with all countries because international cooperation in technology is always in mutual interest. So I am sure they will come around. Internationally, India is seen as a responsible country with advanced nuclear technology so that advantage has to be leveraged somewhere," Kakodkar told the media here when asked about China's opposition to its NSG membership.

The former Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) director said the issue of inclusion of India in the NSG is a matter of discussion and negotiation.

"All countries work together on matters of interest. I think India being member of NSG is certainly in India's interest, but there are arguments that project this as being in the interest of larger international bodies," he said.

Kakodkar was speaking during the inaugural of the National Seminar on Technology Thrusts on Materials & Manufacturing Sector in India' at CSIR - Central Glass and Ceramic Research Institute here.

One of the examples, said Kakodkar, is climate change and India's new climate plan (Intended Nationally Determined Contributions or INDC) to ramp up its share of non-fossil-based power capacity from 30 percent to about 40 percent by 2030 (with the help of international support).

He said the challenge with renewables is the huge investment in energy storage.

"India has the largest capability and expertise in thorium and nuclear energy is very important because of the climate change issue. The alternate is renewable energy. Imagine we become 100 percent renewable. Actually the grids will become unstable. Otherwise, we have to invest a lot of money in battery capacity or in some control system. All grids require minimum base load energy consumption. So there is merit in nuclear energy," he said.

Expanding on the growth of nuclear energy in India, Kakodkar highlighted "India is one of the large countries in terms of energy demand", so it is in "global interest" that nuclear energy grows.

"So this is one of the arguments that is valid for all countries," he said.

Batting for thorium as "nuclear energy proliferation resistant", Kakodkar also elaborated on the reasons why nuclear energy doesn't grow globally.

"One of the reasons why nuclear energy doesn't grow worldwide is this fear of proliferation, fear of safety etc. We have interest in thorium because we have plenty of it. Now thorium also allows you to make nuclear energy proliferation resistant and makes nuclear energy that much safer. So India can be a market for spreading percentage of nuclear energy that is proliferation resistant and safer so that is again in global interest," he added.

READ MORE:
Nuclear Energy|NSG

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Russian supplier willing to upgrade fuel at KKNPP

CHENNAI: The nuclear plants in Koodankulam could soon be operating on a new fuel assembly which could boost the efficiency if the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board gives its clearance, according to the fuel company based in Moscow.

Oleg Grigoriev, vice-president of JSC TVEL, a subsidiary of Russian State Energy Nuclear Corporation (ROSATOM), said in an e-mail interview that Russia is willing to offer modern design of nuclear fuel for the Koodankulam atomic plants.

“We are ready to change the Koodankulam nuclear power plant’s fuel as per the requirements of the Indian Atomic Energy Regulatory Board for substantiation of reliability and security of fuel assemblies,” said Grigoriev.

Russia now supplies almost a fifth of the world’s nuclear fuel. TVEL’s fuel development programmes for Russian-designed VVER light water reactors in Russia and abroad aim to increase the service life, burn-up and cost effectiveness of its fuel assemblies.

Russia feels the only restriction of supplying the advanced nuclear fuel assemblies is the agreement over supply of UTVS fuel, which is currently being supplied to Koodankulam nuclear plant. “The agreement for supply of UTVS fuel is for a period of three to four years by both the parties. Once this agreement phase gets over, then the nuclear power plant will be run on TVS-2M, a more modern design of nuclear fuel,” said Grigoriev.

If India works out a formula, then the transfer to new nuclear fuel will take place faster, says Grigoriev. “The new nuclear fuel will save 60-70 operational days in around three years,” he said, adding that the plant would not face any difficulties, once the new fuel assembly got clearance.

To a query on localisation of nuclear fuel assemblies in India, Grigoriev said India was planning to increase the number of Russian reactors to 12. “We are ready to help India in the localisation of the production of nuclear fuel. But it should be understood that the plant should be cost-effective. We have repeatedly carried out economic calculations and estimated the number of blocks into which the plant is to supply fuel to make it profitable. The result together with regional and country specificity ranged from 10 to 12 units,” he said.

He hoped that in the next 10 years, the first components produced in India would be used in the fuel for Indian nuclear power plants.