The Hindu : Front Page : Failure of nuclear deal will hit capacity expansion: Kakodkar

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Wednesday, Oct 31, 2007
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Failure of nuclear deal will hit capacity expansion: Kakodkar

Special Correspondent

“Opening new uranium mines a time-consuming activity”

Anil Kakodkar

MUMBAI: The plan to build nuclear power capacity of 20,000 MWe by 2020 could slip by at least 6,000 MWe if the India-United States nuclear deal did not materialise, Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar warned here on Tuesday.

Asked if the plan would have to be scaled down in case the deal did not come through, Dr. Kakodkar said: “Definitely.” Speaking on the sidelines of the 98th Founder’s Day (birth anniversary of Homi Bhabha) celebrations of the Bhabha Atomic research Centre (BARC), he said: “It is possible to realise the projected 20,000 MWe by 2020 only if there is international civil nuclear cooperation,” he told journalists.

Reactors from Russia

The Department of Atomic Energy had set a target of 20,000 MWe by 2020 anticipating 10,000 MWe from the pressurised heavy water reactor programme, 2,500 MWe from the fast breeder reactors now being developed and 8,000 MWe from the light water reactors to be imported mainly from Russia. The Russians could supply these reactors even now provided the civilian cooperation was cleared, he said.

In his customary address, attended largely by BARC scientists and engineers, Dr. Kakodkar said Dr. Bhabha had gone ahead with the import of the Tarapur reactors (from the U.S.) for, “his ideas about the roadmap to realise autonomous domestic technological capability were very clear; self-reliance did not mean isolating ourselves but rather keeping several options.”

Opening new uranium mines was a time-consuming activity, he said, giving the examples of locations in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Meghalaya and Rajasthan. “Most of these deposits have been known for a long time; the present fuel demand and supply mismatch would not have arisen had these projects been pursued in the same spirit with which Dr. Bhabha started activities at Jaduguda.”

Better use of resources

But he also struck a note of optimism. “I would like to mention at this stage that our uranium exploration programme has seen a paradigm shift in terms of far greater mobilisation of resources and technologies, and we should not rule out a PHWR capacity much larger than 10,000 MWe should we be successful in finding more uranium,” he said. “Given the capability of our uranium geologists and the unprecedented programme thrust, I see no reason why this should not happen.”

Dr. Srikumar Banerjee, BARC Director, discussed the ongoing research programmes and the progress made in reactor technology, fuel cycle technology, basic research, healthcare, food preservation and agriculture.

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