India is likely to add about 37 per cent to its nuclear power generation capacity over the next year, according to Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Anil Kakodar.
“At least two-three different nuclear power generating units could be connected with the national grid next year, which will add about 1,500 Mw of power,” said Kakodkar.
Currently, the state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is the only nuclear power generating company with an installed capacity of 4,020 Mw equivalent (MWe). It produced 16,930 million units (MUs) of electricity in 2007-08.
Nuclear power accounted for 2.5 per cent of the total electricity produced during that year.
Nuclear power generating capacity is, however, 3 per cent of India’s total installed capacity. The lower production is primarily due to non-availability of fuel to run the 15 nuclear plants at full capacity.
NPCIL had earlier this year said that its reactors were being operated at 50-55 per cent of its capacity as supply of uranium fuel from mines within the country was inadequate.
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Supply of uranium is likely to improve in the future after India signed a civilian nuclear deal with the US earlier this year. This will give India access to uranium from countries such as France which are rich in the mineral.
Kakodkar said plant capacity utilisation would improve as India enters into civil nuclear agreements with countries like the US, France and Russia.
He said that nuclear power parks comprising of 6-8 units of 1,000 MWe each would be built in India over the next 9-10 years, adding that with the signing of the Indo-US nuclear deal and strategies to enhance domestic uranium supplies, “We can well exceed the 2020 target”. India is planning to generate about 20,000 MWe of nuclear power by 2020 and 36,000 MWe by 2030.
The atomic energy department estimates that nuclear power's share in the total power generated would increase to 8.5 per cent by 2032 and 16.5 per cent by 2052.