The massive electricity grid failure earlier this week, that left a majority of India in darkness, has impacted the volumes of power generation companies. The worst power black-out in the world hit their revenues by an estimated Rs 550 crore (Rs 5.5 billion) in two days.
India's target of nuclear power generation of 20,000 megawatt by 2020 has been quietly lowered by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), the only government agency setting up the nuclear power plants in the country, to 11,080 MW.
Modi has made nuclear power a key element of his clean energy strategy
The first unit of the controversy-hit Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, with a capacity to produce 1,000 MW, is expected to start commercial operations in August. The first unit has attained 99.3 per cent of physical progress as on April and commercial operation is likely by August, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited said.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and French company Areva signed an agreement RPT signed an agreement for building two European Pressure Reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra after talks between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Nuclear Power Corporation of India has said that a large number of International Banks have given commitment to finance the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power project in coastal Maharashtra.
The government on Tuesday said it may consider putting in place additional environmental safeguards to ensure safety of the proposed nuclear reactor in Jaitapur in the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan that has endangered atomic power plants there."Based on the technical reviews the NPCIL does, we will certainly be in touch with them and if additional safeguards have to be built in as part of the environmental clearance, we will certainly look at it," said Jairam Ramesh.
The huge reduction in the government's support for Bhavini has brought down the overall budgetary allocation for nuclear power schemes by 20 per cent.
India and France on Friday signed 17 agreements, including on the stalled nuclear project in Jaitapur in Maharashtra, after Prime Minister Narendra Modi held wide-ranging talks with French President Francois Hollande.
Anil Ambani Group firm Reliance Energy, Tata Power, GMR and aluminium manufacturer Nalco are keen to enter nuclear power business, NPCIL Director (Finance) JK Ghai said.
The country is planning to increase its nuclear power generation by about 60,000 mega watts (Mw) within the next 25 years. This planned capacity addition is being executed by the state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL). Its head, Chairman and Managing Director SK Jain, tells P B Jayakumar about his plans and expectations.
Westinghouse Electric Company is set to begin discussions with India's Nuclear Power Corporation to reach an agreement on the deployment of Westinghouse AP1000 (TM) nuclear power plants in India.
Discussions are on in government about how to make the process simpler for the poor and more cost-effective for telecom operators, says Subhomoy Bhattacharjee.
Contrary to perception, the cost of nuclear power based on imported fuel and equipment will be "comparable" to that from the conventional power plants, says Shreyans Kumar Jain, chairman and managing director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India.
NPCIL Chairman and Managing Director SK Jain said the company had cash reserves of over $2.75 billion to fund the equity portion of the projects, which will have a debt-to-equity ratio of 70:30. India is working on raising its nuclear power generation capacity to 60,000 Mw by 2032 against the current 4,120 Mw. Another 3,160 Mw capacity is under construction.
Indian companies led by Anil Ambani's Reliance Power (RPower), Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) plan to invest over Rs 100,000 crore in the next five years to expand their presence in the nuclear energy sector after the country signs the nuclear agreement with the US, paving the way for import of fuel and transfer of technology.
The contract would give a big boost to India's $150 billion nuclear power programme, and a broader push to curb greenhouse gas emissions.
Preparations are on in full swing by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited to receive the plants and all them will most likely be of the European Pressurised Water Reactor type, a third generation design.
There was reorganisation and consolidation of Russian nuclear industry as part of the global nuclear renaissance to control nuclear supply chain, which also contributed to the delay
Under a 2010 nuclear liability law, nuclear equipment suppliers are liable for damages from an accident, which companies say is a sharp deviation from international norms
US urges New Delhi to align its nuclear liability law with the international convention
During the talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, French President Francois Hollande reassured reliable, uninterrupted and continued access to nuclear fuel supply throughout the entire lifetime of the plants while acknowledging India's need for the same.
India's nuclear establishment is continuing its march of folly at the expense of safety in the false belief that atomic power is the energy of the future. It's not. Nuclear power is in relentless global decline, says Praful Bidwai.
'Decisions on nuclear power have so far been taken by a small select group, primarily interested in profiteering from their actions, stating 'secrecy' as necessary from the national security point.' 'This argument is false, because we are dealing with the 'civilian' nuclear power sector, which is open even to the IAEA,' says Dr A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board.
While nuclear engineers cheer KNPP's first full operation, on nine other sites which house atomic reactors, scientists spend sleepless nights.
Ahead of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's visit to the United States, a controversy has broken out over the nuclear liability law with reports suggesting that an agreement will be signed which may not be in tune with the law.
The French president said that peace should be maintained in the region and peoples' rights should be protected.
Those worried say Kakrapar was lucky to have witnessed leakage of heavy and light water from the coolant channel without any serious damage to fuel bundles in the reactor.
Marking a breakthrough in the protracted talks in the French Rafale jet deal, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced on Friday that India will purchase 36 of these fighter planes that are ready to fly, citing critical operational requirement of the Indian Air Force.
'The leak is likely to continue for some time before it becomes stable, but this is something that NPCIL, who is the plant operator, will have to do. For this, we have to plan very carefully.'
Cash-rich Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) have to either invest their surplus funds or give it to someone for investment purpose, Finance Minister P Chidambaram has said.
Scientists are puzzled by what caused the mysterious nuclear leak at the Kakrapar Nuclear Power Plant in Gujarat last year, reveals Pallava Bagla.
'There has definitely been a breakthrough in the nuclear logjam. It is good to see nuclear energy back on the rails,' says Dr Anil Kakodkar, former chairman, Atomic Energy Commission.
The first two units of the Kudankulam nuclear plant will discharge 6.3 billion litres of waste water every day right onto the beach. This discharge will trigger a slow-motion disaster that will poison beaches, devastate near-shore fisheries and choke the livelihood of fisherfolk in the vicinity, says Nityanand Jayaraman.
'When the cause of the leak is identified, is the AERB going to order a shutdown of all the other pressurised heavy water reactors in the country to fix the underlying problem?'
India is expected to strongly push for a bilateral totalisation agreement with the US during President Barack Obama's visit later this month.
Civil nuclear projects in the country would be subject to Indian laws including on issues of civil liability, National Security Adviser Shivshankar Menon said on Friday dismissing reports of attempts to dilute the liability clause in contracts proposed with United States firms.
If a public sector company willfully enters into an agreement with a foreign vendor and abdicates its right to recourse which otherwise provides for its benefit, it would not only be violating the provisions of the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Act but also section 13(1)(d) of the Prevention of Corruption Act, notes Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley
Legal hitches appear to have cropped up in the plans to set up two new reactors in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project and a commercial agreement on it is unlikely to be signed at the Annual Summit between Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Monday.
India and the United States have reached the first commercial agreement on civilian nuclear power, five years after a landmark deal between the two countries was clinched.
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