Talks can be expedited now between the government’s Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) and Westinghouse Electric for the proposed 6,000-Mw atomic power station at Mithi Virdi in Gujarat’s Bhavnagar district.
NPC chairman and managing director S K Jain said: “The US nuclear safety regulator has given its certification for the AP1000 reactors of Westinghouse. This paves the way for NPC to pursue techno-commercial talks.”
US companies Westinghouse and GE are supposed to supply equipment for Mithi Virdi. Westinghouse had suggested these reactors.
Jain said the certification was crucial, in the wake of the safety review and tests across nuclear power generators after the Fukushima accident in Japan last year. Balendra Sutharshan, director, India Business Development of Westinghouse, had told this correspondent last year that the AP1000 reactors made the most sense for India, for diverse reasons.
“We are the leading supplier of commercial nuclear technology worldwide and nearly half the world’s 441 nuclear plants are based on our technology. Our AP1000 technology is the most modern and advanced anywhere. It is also a lot simpler to construct, which reduces the construction time and cost, not to mention less maintenance after the plant is up and producing electricity,” he’d said.
The US nuclear regulator has said the AP1000 design contains many features not found in current reactors. "A variety of engineering and operational improvements provide additional safety margins and address the Commission’s severe accident, safety goal, and standardisation policy statements,” it has said. Also, the facility is designed for a 60-year life, which exceeds the projected 40-year combined operating licence period.
