Category — Nuclear Energy

In a paper circulated among members of the exclusive “Nuclear Suppliers Group”, the United States, which had committed to supporting India’s quest for membership to international non-proliferation regimes (namely the NSG, Australia Group, Wassenaar Arrangement and Missile Technology Control Regime or MTCR) has articulated a set of proposals to all  members for India’s accession. It appears that the US supports making an exception to accommodate India, rather than a wholesale change to the rules.

If this finds broader acceptance within the NSG, India’s entry could become easier, perhaps as early as the current plenary meeting which is ongoing now. Note the NSG was founded partly in response to India’ first nuclear test in 1974. India did not sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty when it was first proposed and is not proposing to sign in now. This causes hesitation on the part of some NCG members.

What it means

Politically there are many implications to NSG membership for India and its impact on other potential applicants in the future and are discussed here. For business today, politics matters less but one major impact is that India would truly be eligible for two-way civil nuclear trade; NPCIL is eager to sell its 200 MW heavy water reactors to countries and locations that don’t need the full size 1000 MW reactors offered by GE/Westinghouse and others.

India is planning a rapid expansion of its nuclear power plant capacity.  New Sites in Gujarat, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh have been identified and land acquisition processes started. Now there is news about the site in Haripur, West Bengal.

According to NPCIL Chairman Dr. SK Jain, “Ground work including collection of oceanography and meteorological data,  is currently in progress. However, we are not carrying out any geo-technical test at present. This can wait for some more time. By March 2012 all basic information will be complete”. Land acquisition will start in 2013. The site is tentatively allocated to Russian technology and may eventually house 6,000 to 10,000 megawatts of capacity.

Russia offers India 49% control of joint uranium mining projects in country, such as the proposed Elkon development.  Russia’s Rosatom and India’s Uranium Corporation of India Limited have been negotiating the joint development of a large uranium reserve in the republic of Sakha, Sergei Kiriyenko, the Russian state nuclear holding’s head, said last month.

The Elkon group of uranium deposits in Sakha is second in size only to Australia’s Olympic Dam, which is being developed by BHP Billiton and contains 34 percent of the world’s known reserves of uranium. The total reserves of uranium in one of the parts of the Elkon group were evaluated this summer at 229,800 tons. Japanese and Korean companies are already reported to have signed memoranda of understanding on involvement in the project.

India’s own supplies of Uranium are fairly limited and it recently imported a large amount from France to feeds its current reactors. It is also in discussion with Kazakhstan for supplies of the radioactive metal. For its massive development of foreign technology nuclear plants, India is currently requiring the reactor maker to guarantee a lifetime supply of uranium fuel.

Speaking to reporters who accompanied Indian prime minister Dr. Manmohan Singh on his two-nation European trip, Secretary (West) in the Ministry of External Affairs, Vivek Katju, said that Germany can help India in its ambitious civil nuclear program. Germany has virtually shut off internal development of nuclear energy but still has plants in operation.

“Germany has experienced significant competitiveness in this field. Their considerable power needs are met through nuclear energy. This will help us in our progress to generate civil nuclear energy. This will now be explored further,” Katju told reporters on board the prime minister’s special aircraft. Germany has expressed its willingness to help India in developing turbine technology for nuclear reactors and also in safety measures for such plants.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh referred to the prospects of the two countries entering into the new area of cooperation while hailing Germany’s supportive role in the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group which gave a crucial waiver in 2008 to help India come out of 34-year-old nuclear apartheid.  “On the bilateral side, we deeply value Germany’s consistent support, including in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, for the opening of international commerce for India in the field of civil nuclear energy.

Unit 4 of the Kaiga nuclear power plant in Karnataka state started up on November 27th , and is likely to be connected to India’s grid in January 2011.  This is the last of the original 220 MWe largely indigenously-designed reactors, and the Nuclear Power Corporation is now building 700 MWe versions, as well as imported designs.  Its twin is nine months ahead of it, but both have been delayed due to shortage of uranium.  The Kaiga units are not under UN safeguards so cannot use imported uranium. The reactor will be synchronized to the grid after carrying out additional tests prior to December 31, Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) said. Electricity generated by Kaiga 4 will be supplied to the southern Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Pudducherry.

Kaiga Unit 4 goes critical

India now has installed nuclear generating capacity of 4780 MWe and ranks sixth in the world – behind the USA, France, Japan, Russia and South Korea – in terms of the number of reactors in operation. Further reactors are nearing completion in India. Two Russian technology 1000 MWe light water reactors (LWRs) at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu, as well as the domesticall designed and built  500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam, also in Tamil Nadu, are at advanced stages of completion. In addition, construction of four indigenously designed 700 MWe PHWRs – two each at Kakrapar in Gujarat and Rawatbhata in Rajasthan – is set to begin during the current year.

With the completion of all these plants, India’s nuclear generating capacity will reach 7280 MWe by 21012, and 10,080 MWe by 2017.