India to add 13,600 MW nuclear power capacity in next 6 years: Jitendra Singh

Currently, there are 25 operational nuclear power plants in the country with a total capacity of 8,880 MW, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Department of Atomic Energy Dr. Jitendra Singh said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.

The minister further stated that the National Fuel Complex (NFC)-Kota project is scheduled for completion by March 2026 and has currently achieved more than 90 per cent physical progress with commissioning of major equipment in advanced stage, the minister said.

He explained that India is pursuing a three-stage nuclear power programme, for optimum utilisation of its limited uranium resources and exploiting vast thorium resources for long-term energy security, by following nearly closed nuclear fuel cycle wherein the spent fuel from reactors is treated as resource material and not waste. India has developed expertise in backend fuel cycle of pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), the minister said.

The Programme of Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research (AMD&ER) is linked to the front end of nuclear fuel cycle, wherein exploration is carried out to identify, evaluate and augment atomic mineral resources to cater the need of Nuclear Power Programme of India.

As on date, AMD&ER has established 4,28,300 tonnes in-situ U-oxide resource in 47 uranium deposits located in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Jharkhand, Meghalaya, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra, he explained.

Besides, the directorate has estimated 13.15million tonnes (MT) in-situmonazite (a mineral containing thorium, uranium and Rare Earth Elements) resource occurring in the coastal beach and teri/red sands in parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat and in the inland alluvium in parts of Jharkhand, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu. Monazite in beach placer sands contain about 9-10% thorium oxide.

The estimated in-situ monazite resource (13.15Mt) contains approximately 1.04Mt thorium metal (Th) or approximately 1.18Mt thorium oxide (ThO2), the minister stated.

He further stated that the uranium fuel requirement for the reactors which are under domestic safeguards is adequately met by Uranium Corporation of India Limited (UCIL), a Public Sector Enterprise under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). Time to time, projects which include capacity expansion of some existing units as well as for establishing new projects in various parts of the country, are planned to maintain sustained supply from UCIL.

Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) with its initial establishment in Hyderabad has further augmented its own production facilities for fuel and structural fabrication at Hyderabad and further establishednewfacilitiesthroughGreenfieldProjectsat“ZirconiumComplex”, Pazhayakayal for Zirconium sponge production and “NFC-Kota” for Fuel Production. The project at Zirconium Complex, Pazhayakayal is completed in 2009 and is under operation since then.

Currently, the spent fuel from PHWRs is reprocessed to extract fissile material for use as fuel for next stage nuclear power plants.

However, a small volume of radioactive liquid wastes containing minor actinides and fission products is generated during reprocessing.

The high level radioactive liquid waste, generated from reprocessing of spent fuel, is subjected to a process called vitrification, wherein it is converted to glass.

This vitrified solid product is subjected to natural cooling in a solid storage surveillance facility. This policy is at par with international practices following the guidelines of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the minister added.

Comments: