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India’s nuclear power generation programme is set for major expansion in the coming years with Government’s approval for setting up eight new power stations in four states. With a total generating capacity of 6,800 megawatts, the new plants are to be built in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. While the plants at Kakrapar in Gujarat and Rewatbhata near Kota in Rajasthan will be based on pressurized heavy water, the other four at Kundakulam in Tamil Nadu and Jaitapur in Maharashtra are planned as light water reactors.
The recent relaxation in sanctions in the supply of fuel and other requirements for India’s civilian nuclear energy installations by the United States and other Western nations is expected to help in the building of the new projects.
The relaxations came after several summit level parleys during the past few weeks. The series of talks began with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s Washington meeting with the US President George Bush on the 18th July.
President Bush promised to work to achieve full ‘civilian nuclear energy co-operation’ with India. In the course of wide ranging discussions on India-US relations, President Bush assured the Prime Minister that he would seek necessary adjustments in the US laws and also work with friends and allies to adjust international regimes to achieve full civil nuclear co-operation and trade with India including expeditious fuel supplies for safeguarded nuclear reactors like Tarapur.
Under this agreement, India has agreed to separate its civilian and military nuclear installations in a phased manner and place civilian nuclear facilities under the International Atomic Energy Agency’s safeguards.
In line with this accord, President Bush has already announced removal of a number of license controls on exports and re-exports of American nuclear related items. The civil-nuclear plants freed from the license restrictions include Tarapur, Rajasthan units and the upcoming 2000 megawatt complex at Kudamkulam in Tamil Nadu.
Later at the India-EU summit in New Delhi on the 7th September both sides agreed to co-operate closely in all the energy related matters including civilian nuclear energy.
In their action plan and political declaration, the summit leaders pledged to launch an India-EU initiative to promote clean technologies and their use. Within a week after the India-EU summit, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had wide ranging friendly discussions with President Jacques Chirac of France in Paris while going to New York for the 60th UN Summit.
Thermonuclear Project
Both Dr. Manmohan Singh and President Chirac agreed to conclude at early date agreements on Indo-French co-operation in several fields including civil nuclear energy. Appreciating India’s strong commitment to prevent WMD proliferation, the French President acknowledged the need for full international civilian nuclear energy co-operation with India. He said that France will work for this objective with other countries and the nuclear suppliers group (NSG) and by deepening bilateral co-operation.
Both at the India-EU summit and at his meetings with the Presidents of the United States and France and the Udaipur summit with Prime Minister Tony Blair of the UK, Dr. Manmohan Singh was assured of support for India’s participation in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Project (ITER).
The 13 billion dollar nuclear fusion reactor (ITER) is the brain child of a six member consortium comprising the US, China, Russia, Japan, South Korea and the European Union. To be set up at Cadarache in Southern France, the giant project will provide clean, safe and endless energy resource that could phase out polluting fossil fuels. The consortium is promoting the future of fusion which reproduces the sun’s power source and creates no greenhouse emissions with only low level of radioactive waste.
Biggest Atomic Plant
In the midst of these welcome developments, new laurels for India’s nuclear scientists came when the country’s biggest 540 MW homebuilt atomic power plant, Unit-4 of the Tarapur complex went into commercial operation on the 12th September. Unlike the earlier unit of the Tarapur complex, Unit 4 is entirely indigenous designed and built by Indian experts of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India. It incorporates the most advance concepts with state of art technology and equipment.
And even more, it uses domestic natural uranium for fuel and so it is out of the IAEA safeguards while the 35 year old US built Tarapur I is based on imported enriched Uranium involving IAEA safeguards.
With the addition of TAPP-4, the Nuclear Power Corporation is now generating 3310 Megawatts. Seven other reactors with an aggregate capacity of 3420 MW are in various stages of construction. Also at Tarapur TAPP-3 is nearing completion and is expected to go critical early next year.
Evolution of Atomic Research
Soon after independence in 1947, an atomic energy establishment headed by the dedicated scientist, Dr. Homi Bhabha (36), was set up at the Tata Institute in Bombay (Mumbai). As laboratory researches went on, Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru created a full fledged Department of Atomic Energy on the 3rd August 1954. Exactly in two years time India’s first home made research reactor ‘Apsara’ went critical on the 4th August 1956. Announcing this in Parliament, Nehru told the house that ‘It is clear that nuclear energy can be used for peaceful purposes’. Two other research reactors Cirus and Dhruva followed in later years.
As we enter the Golden Jubilee year of the nation’s atomic energy mosaic, all these fifty years, dedicated scientists have relentlessly continued India’s quest to harness the atoms for peace with the setting up of a chain of power plants, heavy water reactors, and applications in medicine, agriculture, industry and other fields of human welfare.
India’s nuclear power plants are a mix of those based on pressurized heavy water and light water reactors.
As a step further, scientists have successfully completed the research and development of fast breeder reactor technology. The Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Mumbai is now engaged in the construction of India’s first fast breeder reactor based on liquid sodium with a capacity of 500 MW. Experts point out that fast breeder technology will enable the country’s domestic uranium resources to support a 20,000 megawatt power programme. To feed the present units, six heavy water plants are operating in KOTA, Hazira Thal, Manuguru and Baroda.
Boosting Agriculture
Besides power generation, massive efforts have been made successfully in the application of nuclear technology in many other sectors of national activity. For agriculture, the multidimensional Bhabha Atomic Research Centre is working on enhanced seed production of the crops developed and released by it. It has already developed 24 varieties of different crops including groundnut and soyabean for commercial cultivation with good results.
Specialized plants at Nashik and Vashi in Maharashtra undertake radiation processing of pulses, rawa, turmeric and spices under a scheme of Krishak Utpadan Suraksha Kendras – KRUSHAK.
As part of urban waste management, a sludge irradiator at Vadodra provides hygenised sludge for use at the farms. Six plants have been set up for treatment of wastes from vegetable markets, kitchens and other such sources to produce methane for fuel. Many more similar units are coming up in different parts of the country.
Boon for Healthcare
In health services, a network of 18 Regional Institutes is to be created in coordination with the Tata Memorial Hospital, Mumbai. These will be operated with satellite based telemedicine links to provide treatment facilities in different parts of the country. Research reactors Apsara, Cirus and Dhruva at the Bhabha complex produce radio isotopes for a variety of end users in industry and social sectors for the benefit of common man.
Radio Isotopes and their formulations have wide applications in diagnostic therapy and healthcare. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre supplies radio isotopes to its sister organizations to produce isotope products like pharmaceuticals, immunization kits and several other compounds for health services.
In another public utility, a plant set up by BARC at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, undertakes desalination of 1.8 million litres of sea water to make it drinkable. BARC is a member of the Nuclear Desalination Group of the International Atomic Energy Agency to give advice on IAEA’s programme for nuclear desalination.
BARC’s performance in purification of brackish water has been serving the rural population in the desert area of Rajasthan through a plant near Jodhpur to supply safe drinking water. All this and equally importantly, nuclear energy reduces carbon di-oxide emissions caused by burning of fossil fuels.
*Freelance Writer
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