The nuclear crisis in Japan is unlikely to impact the domestic nuclear power programme with the government deciding against any review on capacity addition programme in nuclear power generation.
There are plans to set up new nuclear power generation capacity of 60,000 mw by 2032 to reduce the country?s dependance on fossil fuels and develop a large power market with clean sources of energy. These plans have now come under the cloud after leaks from nuclear reactors at Japanese power plants and questions being raised over safety of these large installations.
Sources in the power ministry said the developments in Japan is being closely watched to make Indian installations secure rather than taking the incident to stall country?s ambitious power generation programme. Power secretary P Umashankar, however, said: ?This is not the right time to comment on this issue. Let the full picture come out.?
Power ministry is responsible for planning the country?s capacity addition in generation, even though nuclear power projects come under the ambit of Department of Atomic Energy.
While the nuclear power watchdog, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), has moved to conduct a comprehensive review of safety at nuclear power plants in the light of Japan crisis, it has also tried to assuage public concerns by saying all the operating reactors in the country are designed to withstand the impact of earthquake and tsunami.
Moreover, only two units in the Tarapur Atomic Power Station have boiler water reactors similar to Japan?s Fukushima nuclear power plant, the regulator pointed out. The department of atomic energy (DAE), which is directly concerned with India?s nuclear power generation programme, has maintained that the Japan crisis should not be a cause of alarm or panic. It should trigger further safety enhancements.
The installed capacity in nuclear power generation is about 4,800 mw, the bulk of which is based on small reactors in the size of 220 mw. But following the Indo-US civil nuclear deal, India has chalked out ambitious capacity addition in nuclear power generation using large-sized reactors to bridge growing electricity deficit.
For example, the government has planned five nuclear parks each with 10,000 mw capacity at various locations including Jaitapur in Mahrashtra. These projects will be based on large-sized imported reactors.