india-nuclear power
India -nuclear power
As on 2010 India has 20 nuclear reactors in operation in six power plants generating 4,780 MW. While other 5 new plants are under construction are expected to generate an additional 2720MW. The nuclear industry is undergoing expansion with plan to increase nuclear power out put to 63,000 MW. by 2032 as per expectations and plans of nuclear power corporation of India (NPCIL). India is global leader in development of thorium based fast breeder reactors.
India domestic uranium reserves are limited and is dependent on imported nuclear fuel for their under operation nuclear power plants . Due lack of sufficient reserves of uranium India nuclear power generation declined by 12.83 per cent from 2006 to 2008. Following waiver from nuclear supply group (NSG) in September 2008 which allowed India commences procurement of uranium from international trade. India has uranium supply agreements with Russia , Mongolia,Kazakhstan, Argentina, and Namibia.
NPCIL plans to increase the contribution of nuclear power to overall electricity generation capacity from 4 per cent to 9 per cent in 25 years. India’s NPCIL signed an agreement with Areva of France for constructing 2 EPR (European Pressurized Reactors). India implementing U.S. dollars 717 million fast breeder reactor project and is expected to be operational by 2011.
On the other hand NSG Group constrained India from freely importing nuclear fuel at volume and cost level it would like to support goals of expanding its nuclear generating capacity at least 20,000 MW by 2020 which may little difficult due to paucity of funds. On the other hand the NSG Group embargo forced the India government arm NPCIL to support and activity to fund the development India nuclear technologies in all key areas required to create and maintain domestic nuclear industry. This has created large pool nuclear scientists ,engineers, technicians that developed independent capabilities in the area of fast breeder reactors, thermal breeder reactors and on thorium fuel cycle, nuclear fuel reprocessing and tritium extraction and production.
The nuclear industry is expected to under go a significance in coming years due to passing Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement. This agreement will allow to India to carry out trade of nuclear fuel(uranium) and technologies with other countries and significantly enhance power generation capacity.
India has already been imported enriched uranium for light water reactors that are currently under IAEA safeguards , but has developed other aspects of nuclear fuel cycle to support reactors in use of heavy water reactors has been particularly attraction for nation because it allows uranium to be burnt a little or no enrichment capacities. India has developed nuclear fuel cycle in development of thorium centered fuel cycle. India reserves of uranium limited, there are much greater reserves of thorium and it could provide hundreds of energy with same mass of uranium. Plutonium fuel while irradiating a thorium blanket under construction at Madras Kalpakkam power station.
The domestic reserves of uranium 80,000 to 1,12,000 tons of uranium( 1 percent of global uranium reserves) is largely enough to supply India‘s commercial and military reactors as well as supply all needs India’s nuclear arsenal. Nuclear power consume 2000 metric tonnes of uranium per annul requirements. Therefore India has sufficient uranium resources to meet its strategic and power requirements for foreseeable future. India has enrichment technology but not exploited commercially in large scale. India has to mine and extract uranium at present problem is lot of resistance from local land owners for uranium extraction in addition India need investments in development of latest enrichment technology .
Electricity demand in India is increasing rapidly and India’s total generation capacity 1,62,000 MW at present triple the 1990 out put though still represented only 591 billion Kwh per ca-pita per year. However after steady in transmission losses this resulted in only 591 billion Kwh consumption. Coal provides 68 percent of electricity for the present, but reserves are limited. Gas provides 8 percent, hydro 14 percent. The ca-pita consumption figure is expected double by 2020 with 63 percent annual growth and reach 5000-6000 Kwh by 2050.
A KPMG report in 2007 said India needed to spend 150 billion dollars on power infrastructure over next five years including transmission and distribution.
India nuclear energy development primary policy body
The Atomic Energy establishment was set up at Trombay , near Mumbai in 1957 and renamed as Bhabha Atomic Research Center(BARC) ten year later. The Indian Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)is the main policy body at present. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) is responsible for design, construction commissioning and operation of thermal nuclear power plants . At start of 2010 it said it had enough cash on hand for 10,000 Mwe new plant. Its funding model is 70 percent equity 30 percent debt financing . However it is aiming to involve other public sectors and private corporations in future nuclear power expansion notably NTPC (National thermal power corporation. NTPC is largely government owned and 1962 Atomic Act prohibits private control of nuclear power generation though it allows investment. So far there is no policy change over allowing control of private sector into nuclear power generation.
More recent development in India
The Tarapur 3 &4 reactors of 540 Mwe gross (490 Mwe net) were developed endogenously from 220 Mwe(gross) model PHWR and were built by NPCIL.
The first Tarapur -4 was connected to grid in June 2005 started commercial operation in September . Tarapur -4s criticality came five years after pouring the first concrete and seven months ahead of schedule. Unit 3 was about a year behind it and it was connected to grid in June 2006 with commercial operation in August five months a head of schedule.
Russia’s Atoms troy export is building the country’s first larger power plant comprising two VVER 1000 (V-392) under Russian financed 3 billion U.S. dollars contract. A long term credit facility covers about half cost of plant. The AES-92 unit at Kundankulam, Tamilnadu are being built by NPCIL and will be commissioned and operated by Npcil under IAEA safeguards. Russia is supplying all enriched fuel through life of plant though India will reprocess it and keep Plutonium. The first unit was due to start operation later 2008,but this schedule has slipped more than three years. It is now due to start up in April 2011. The second unit is about 6-8 months behind it while first core load of fuel was delivered early 2008. There has been delays in supply of some equipment and documentation central system documentation was delivered late, and when reviewed by NPCIL it showed up the need for significant refining and reworking some specification.
Kaiga 3 started up February was connected to the grid in April and went into commercial operation- in May 2007. Unit 4 started up in November 2010 and was grid connected in January 2011,but is about 30 months behind original schedule due to shortage uranium. The Kaiga units are not under un safeguards so cannot use imported uranium.
RAPP-5 started up in November 2009,using imported Russian fuel and in December it was connected to northern grid. RAPP-6 started up January 2010 and connected at the end of March . Both are now under commercial production.
Under plans for India specific safeguards to be administratively IAEA in relation to the civil-military separation plan, eight further reactors will be safeguarded ( beyond Tarapur 1&2 Rajasthan 1&2 and Kundankulam 1&2) Rajasthan 3&4 by 2010,Rajasthan 5&6 by 2011, Kakrapar 1&2 by 2012 and Narora 1&2 by 2014.
However India’s nuclear energy future seems to be rosy, but NPCIL should develop plans further growth of nuclear energy by negotiating with foreign suppliers like Areva, GEH and Westinghouse by taking latest safety parameters incorporating safety design of light water reactors that will with stand in the event of earthquakes and tsunamis. The financing the nuclear power should be like Russia financing half cost nuclear power plants with long term credit facility with performance bank guarantee from suppliers.
As on 2010 India has 20 nuclear reactors in operation in six power plants generating 4,780 MW. While other 5 new plants are under construction are expected to generate an additional 2720MW. The nuclear industry is undergoing expansion with plan to increase nuclear power out put to 63,000 MW. by 2032 as per expectations and plans of nuclear power corporation of India (NPCIL). India is global leader in development of thorium based fast breeder reactors.
India domestic uranium reserves are limited and is dependent on imported nuclear fuel for their under operation nuclear power plants . Due lack of sufficient reserves of uranium India nuclear power generation declined by 12.83 per cent from 2006 to 2008. Following waiver from nuclear supply group (NSG) in September 2008 which allowed India commences procurement of uranium from international trade. India has uranium supply agreements with Russia , Mongolia,Kazakhstan, Argentina, and Namibia.
NPCIL plans to increase the contribution of nuclear power to overall electricity generation capacity from 4 per cent to 9 per cent in 25 years. India’s NPCIL signed an agreement with Areva of France for constructing 2 EPR (European Pressurized Reactors). India implementing U.S. dollars 717 million fast breeder reactor project and is expected to be operational by 2011.
On the other hand NSG Group constrained India from freely importing nuclear fuel at volume and cost level it would like to support goals of expanding its nuclear generating capacity at least 20,000 MW by 2020 which may little difficult due to paucity of funds. On the other hand the NSG Group embargo forced the India government arm NPCIL to support and activity to fund the development India nuclear technologies in all key areas required to create and maintain domestic nuclear industry. This has created large pool nuclear scientists ,engineers, technicians that developed independent capabilities in the area of fast breeder reactors, thermal breeder reactors and on thorium fuel cycle, nuclear fuel reprocessing and tritium extraction and production.
The nuclear industry is expected to under go a significance in coming years due to passing Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement. This agreement will allow to India to carry out trade of nuclear fuel(uranium) and technologies with other countries and significantly enhance power generation capacity.
India has already been imported enriched uranium for light water reactors that are currently under IAEA safeguards , but has developed other aspects of nuclear fuel cycle to support reactors in use of heavy water reactors has been particularly attraction for nation because it allows uranium to be burnt a little or no enrichment capacities. India has developed nuclear fuel cycle in development of thorium centered fuel cycle. India reserves of uranium limited, there are much greater reserves of thorium and it could provide hundreds of energy with same mass of uranium. Plutonium fuel while irradiating a thorium blanket under construction at Madras Kalpakkam power station.
The domestic reserves of uranium 80,000 to 1,12,000 tons of uranium( 1 percent of global uranium reserves) is largely enough to supply India‘s commercial and military reactors as well as supply all needs India’s nuclear arsenal. Nuclear power consume 2000 metric tonnes of uranium per annul requirements. Therefore India has sufficient uranium resources to meet its strategic and power requirements for foreseeable future. India has enrichment technology but not exploited commercially in large scale. India has to mine and extract uranium at present problem is lot of resistance from local land owners for uranium extraction in addition India need investments in development of latest enrichment technology .
Electricity demand in India is increasing rapidly and India’s total generation capacity 1,62,000 MW at present triple the 1990 out put though still represented only 591 billion Kwh per ca-pita per year. However after steady in transmission losses this resulted in only 591 billion Kwh consumption. Coal provides 68 percent of electricity for the present, but reserves are limited. Gas provides 8 percent, hydro 14 percent. The ca-pita consumption figure is expected double by 2020 with 63 percent annual growth and reach 5000-6000 Kwh by 2050.
A KPMG report in 2007 said India needed to spend 150 billion dollars on power infrastructure over next five years including transmission and distribution.
India nuclear energy development primary policy body
The Atomic Energy establishment was set up at Trombay , near Mumbai in 1957 and renamed as Bhabha Atomic Research Center(BARC) ten year later. The Indian Atomic Energy Commission (AEC)is the main policy body at present. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) is responsible for design, construction commissioning and operation of thermal nuclear power plants . At start of 2010 it said it had enough cash on hand for 10,000 Mwe new plant. Its funding model is 70 percent equity 30 percent debt financing . However it is aiming to involve other public sectors and private corporations in future nuclear power expansion notably NTPC (National thermal power corporation. NTPC is largely government owned and 1962 Atomic Act prohibits private control of nuclear power generation though it allows investment. So far there is no policy change over allowing control of private sector into nuclear power generation.
More recent development in India
The Tarapur 3 &4 reactors of 540 Mwe gross (490 Mwe net) were developed endogenously from 220 Mwe(gross) model PHWR and were built by NPCIL.
The first Tarapur -4 was connected to grid in June 2005 started commercial operation in September . Tarapur -4s criticality came five years after pouring the first concrete and seven months ahead of schedule. Unit 3 was about a year behind it and it was connected to grid in June 2006 with commercial operation in August five months a head of schedule.
Russia’s Atoms troy export is building the country’s first larger power plant comprising two VVER 1000 (V-392) under Russian financed 3 billion U.S. dollars contract. A long term credit facility covers about half cost of plant. The AES-92 unit at Kundankulam, Tamilnadu are being built by NPCIL and will be commissioned and operated by Npcil under IAEA safeguards. Russia is supplying all enriched fuel through life of plant though India will reprocess it and keep Plutonium. The first unit was due to start operation later 2008,but this schedule has slipped more than three years. It is now due to start up in April 2011. The second unit is about 6-8 months behind it while first core load of fuel was delivered early 2008. There has been delays in supply of some equipment and documentation central system documentation was delivered late, and when reviewed by NPCIL it showed up the need for significant refining and reworking some specification.
Kaiga 3 started up February was connected to the grid in April and went into commercial operation- in May 2007. Unit 4 started up in November 2010 and was grid connected in January 2011,but is about 30 months behind original schedule due to shortage uranium. The Kaiga units are not under un safeguards so cannot use imported uranium.
RAPP-5 started up in November 2009,using imported Russian fuel and in December it was connected to northern grid. RAPP-6 started up January 2010 and connected at the end of March . Both are now under commercial production.
Under plans for India specific safeguards to be administratively IAEA in relation to the civil-military separation plan, eight further reactors will be safeguarded ( beyond Tarapur 1&2 Rajasthan 1&2 and Kundankulam 1&2) Rajasthan 3&4 by 2010,Rajasthan 5&6 by 2011, Kakrapar 1&2 by 2012 and Narora 1&2 by 2014.
However India’s nuclear energy future seems to be rosy, but NPCIL should develop plans further growth of nuclear energy by negotiating with foreign suppliers like Areva, GEH and Westinghouse by taking latest safety parameters incorporating safety design of light water reactors that will with stand in the event of earthquakes and tsunamis. The financing the nuclear power should be like Russia financing half cost nuclear power plants with long term credit facility with performance bank guarantee from suppliers.
posted by P M Babu Rao @ 10:22 PM
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what happen my readers vanished. i have email address have you posted my blog to them .pl help me .
p.m.babu rao
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