The Hindu : AEC plan to step up power production

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 04, 2002

National

National

AEC plan to step up power production

By K. Subramanian

Kancheepuram Oct. 3. The Atomic Energy Commission has prepared a perspective plan for the next two decades up to 2020 for generating more and more nuclear power in the country and has programmed to produce 2,000 MW more nuclear power in the next five years, its chairman, Anil Kakodkar, said at Kalpakkam today.

Commemorating the achievement of the fuel burn-up of 100,000 MW without a fuel failure attained by the Fast Breeder Test Reactor at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) at Kalpakkam, Dr. Kakodkar said that hereafter more and more nuclear power plants with an installed capacity of 540 MW to 700 MW would be set up.

Dr. Kakodkar said that at present about 2,700 MW of nuclear power was being generated through the 14 power plants in the country and pointed out that six more nuclear power stations would be commissioned in the next five years and eight stations in the next seven years including the 1,000 MW plant at Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu.

The AEC chairman said the IGCAR was now embarking on the construction of a new 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor unit at Kalpakkam and pointed out that the research and development activities were being carried out for setting up the plants that should be commercially and economically feasible.

Dr. Kakodkar said, "We are taking all safety measures including the pollution aspect in the nuclear power plants, conforming to international standards."

The AEC chairman pointed out that India had an abundant quantity of thorium and this could be used effectively for nuclear power generation.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

National