India?s programme of generating 20,000 mw of nuclear power by 2020 moves another step ahead with Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel) poised to kick start manufacturing 700 mw nuclear steam generators after procuring the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) certification by January end.
Executive director of Bhel?s Tiruchy plant AV Krishnan said ASME would give N&NPT clearance by end of January, after which the company, for the first time, could start making nuclear steam generators for 700mw Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) to be put up at Kakrapar Atomic Power Station in Gujarat.
India has so far developed 540 mw and 220 mw PWHRs and Bhel, accordingly has designed nuclear steam generators to suit such heavy water reactors. The Kakrapar Atomic Power Station, which has two 220 mw of nuclear power units, is supposed to have additional 2×700 mw nuclear power units by 2016, for which BHEL will have to supply 4 nuclear steam generators each costing Rs 345 crore.
In fact, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) awarded Bhel the contract in 2009 and the power engineer major was supposed to start manufacturing the steam generators by November this year in its Tiruchy plant. With the certification pending Bhelcould not kick off manufacturing of the 700mw nuclear steam generators, though this gave it time to re- draw its manufacturing plan.