Centre mulls amending Atomic Energy Act for private sector entry

Our Corporate Bureau

Hazira, Dec 3: The Centre is working on certain amendments to the Atomic Energy Act (AEC) in order to enable the private sector to play a role in the area of nuclear power technology.

The Act, as it currently exists, requires that this has to be in public units, according to Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman and department of atomic energy (DAE) secretary Anil Kakodkar. The main rationale behind this is that this technology requires a lot of investment. As the investment climate was not too conducive, investment in nuclear power would probably lag behind further, he added. “Nuclear power has a large potential for securing energy requirements and if there is a serious private proposal, we will hasten the process,” Dr Kakodkar added. The Nuclear Power Corporation was in talks with various interested parties, he said.

The DAE is working on a prototype fast breeder reactor of 500 MW at Kalpakkam which is expected to form the second phase of India’s nuclear power programme. The proposed prototype is a techno-commercial demonstrator of the fast breeder reactor series. The cost of the project will be Rs 5.2 crore per MW and the tariff would be Rs 3.40 per MW in 2008, when it is expected to be commissioned.

India currently produces about 2,800 MW of nuclear power. Plan is to add 1,300 MW of additional nuclear power to the national grid by 2007, said Dr Kakodkar.

L&T makes equipment for 500 mw fast breeder reactor
L&T has built three critical components for the 500 MW fast breeder reactor, based on drawings supplied by the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. The company has already handed over a steam generator to the DAE.

The roof slab was handed over to the DAE on Saturday. A 23-metre tall remote-operated nuclear fuel handling machine, currently under construction at Hazira, will be delivered within the next three months. According to L&T CEO & managing director AM Naik, “L&T, in recent months, has bagged over Rs 100-crore orders for building reactors for refinery and other process industries from developed countries in Europe and South America.”

(The travel for the story was sponsored by L&T)