India to be global tech leader in FBRs: Anil Kakodkar

Flint

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India to be global tech leader in FBRs: Anil Kakodkar
Businesswire India
Posted: Wednesday, Aug 19, 2009 at 0931 hrs IST
Updated: Wednesday, Aug 19, 2009 at 0931 hrs IST

Mumbai: Dr. Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), said, in Mumbai that India’s capability to independently design and build thorium-based Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs) will make the country a global technological leader in this crucial area in the future.

In an exclusive interview to a portal dedicated to nuclear commerce and its e-Zine, he said that small sized Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), which this country is capable of building, have considerable demand in developing nations.

The interview, which also appears in the forthcoming issue of Asian Nuclear Energy, a bi-monthly and first of its kind to power nuclear commerce, and published by New Media, India’s largest bilateral trade magazine publishing house, stresses the importance of private sector participation in making this country a global hub for nuclear component industry.

A key negotiator of the historic Indo-US civilian nuclear energy agreement, culminating in the lifting of the 34-year-long ban on India by the Nuclear Suppliers’ Group, Dr. Kakodkar said, “The Immediate benefit of the international civil nuclear commerce with other countries will be an additionality of installed nuclear power capacity (40,000 MWe by 2020) over and above that to be achieved through the indigenous three-stage programme.”

India’s three-stage nuclear energy programme comprises building uranium-fuelled Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), development of Fast Breeder Reactor (FBRs) and an advanced nuclear power system based on Thorium-Uranium-fuelled reactors.

Kakodkar said, “With nuclear energy likely to become centre stage, FBRs are expected to be in considerable demand in future. With India having taken the lead in this crucial area, we could very well be the technological leaders worldwide.”

He said the same thing could happen in the context of thorium systems a little later. “Thorium based reactor technology forms the third stage of the three-stage Indian Nuclear Power Programme. It is envisaged that reactors based on thorium will become commercial not only for electricity generation but also for providing high temperature process heat for industries and hydrogen as a clean fuel as substitute for the petroleum based fuels,” Dr. Kakodkar added.

Taking into consideration the vast thorium resources in the country, it will provide energy for several centuries,” he said.


“On a short-term basis the small size Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) have a potential to be supplied to some developing countries, Kakodkar said.

On scaling up of India’s installed nuclear power generation capacity by nearly five times to 20,000 MWe by 2020 from the present 4,120 MWe, Dr. Kakodkar said that this target “is likely to be revised upwards.”

About the funds required for meeting the 20,000 MWe target, he said, the state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) could manage about 10,000 MWe through its own financial resources. Atomic Energy Act in its current form does allow investment by private sector up to the extent of 49 per cent, Dr. Kakodkar added.

While the Atomic Energy Act stipulates that nuclear power generation to be done by a government company, holding at least 51 per cent equity, the private sector could, however, carry out manufacturing of nuclear equipment and other supply chain activities including construction, Dr. Kakodkar said.

He stressed that Indian companies must maintain their technological competence and ability to tap emerging markets. “In so doing they should not allow themselves to be subjected to extraterritorial application of foreign laws that restrict their participation in the domestic development of India’s three-stage nuclear power programme which is the key to opening up of very large potential of nuclear power,” Dr. Kakodkar cautioned.

DAE would continue its engagement with the Indian industry in this regard, he added.
 

Flint

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India foresees sharp rise in its nuclear power

AFP

NEW DELHI (AFP) – India, whose nuclear pariah status ended last year, could obtain 50 percent of its power from atomic energy by 2050, the country's nuclear chief said in an interview published Wednesday.

India, which emerged from decades of nuclear isolation in 2008 when it signed a civilian technology supply agreement with the United States, now gets less than three percent of its energy needs from atomic power.

"The proportion of nuclear power by 2050 could well be around 50 percent -- 600-700 gigawatts -- if we successfully bring to bear the indigenous capability," Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, was quoted as saying by the magazine Asian Nuclear Energy.


Up to now, India has said it expected to get around 25 percent of its energy from nuclear power by mid-century.

Kakodkar, however, predicted the 25 percent target would be hit by 2020.


India, with a population of nearly 1.2 billion, currently relies on imported oil for about 70 percent of its energy needs.

Kakodkar dismissed a call last month contained in a finance ministry report to allow foreign direct investment in the country's politically sensitive nuclear field.

The Atomic Energy Act "requires nuclear power generation to be done by a government company in which at least 51 percent of shares are held by the central government," he said.

But he said that the private sector could play a role in manufacturing of nuclear equipment and other supply chain activities including construction.

Kakodkar predicted that the sale of foreign nuclear technology, equipment and fuel to India as a result of the civilian nuclear deal with the US would sharply boost the country's nuclear capacity.

Energy-hungry India has 17 operating nuclear power reactors and plans to increase its current capacity of 4,120 megawatts to 10,000 megawatts by 2012.

Kakodkar, who was instrumental in negotiating the landmark nuclear deal, said talks were underway with nuclear vendors from France, Russia and the United States for the construction of six to eight reactors.
 

Vinod2070

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I hope these predictions come true. We need to see these things for real before believing them.

Indian science has promised much but delivery has not kept pace.
 

Flint

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His vision is on track though. India will need to produce more nuclear energy in the future. Its one more step closer to both energy-sufficiency and energy-independence.

The first FBR prototype is being launched in 2010. Lets see how that goes. If it succeeds, then it will mean a big step forward.
 

Vinod2070

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Yes, energy independence means continued economic growth. This is a no-lose game. India just needs to do it this time.
 

1.44

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I hope Indian companies mature their nuke tech.i'd hate for the cash to install 20.000mwe of nuke power goes to foreign companies.
 

Vinod2070

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I read an article earlier that the Western countries are planing to use the Indian companies as vendors in a big way to supply the nuclear reactors and keep costs low. This should automatically result in building of these capabilities over time.
 

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