Government has given general approval for the construction of 6 N-power reactors in Jaitapur: Minister | India News

NEW DELHI: The center has given the Jaitapur site in the Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra basic approval for the construction of six nuclear reactors, each with 1,650 MW, in technical cooperation with France, making it the largest nuclear power plant site with a total capacity of 9,900 MW.
In a written answer to a question in the Rajya Sabha on Thursday, Atomic Energy Minister Jitendra Singh said that technical-commercial discussions were ongoing with the French multinational utility EDF about the project.
Regarding nuclear power capacity, the minister announced that the currently installed nuclear power capacity in India is 6,780 MW and the share of nuclear power in total electricity generation is 3.1% in the 2020-21 period. The installed nuclear power capacity has grown in the last seven years from 4,780 MW to 6,780 MW – an increase of over 40%. Singh said the net zero targets are expected to be met through a combination of various clean energy sources, including nuclear power. In this context, it is planned to increase the current nuclear power capacity from 6,780 MW to 22,480 MW by 2031, when the projects under construction are successively completed and sanctioned. Further nuclear power plants are also in preparation.
The nuclear power plants have so far generated around 755 billion units of electricity and saved around 650 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, he said.
In response to another question asked at Lok Sabha the day before, the minister said that India was pursuing an indigenous three-stage nuclear power program to provide the country with long-term energy security in a sustainable manner. In addition, light water reactors are being built on the basis of foreign partnerships as additional systems for the provision of clean electricity.
The minister also announced that the 3 and 4 (2X1000 MW) project units of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP), implemented by PSU Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) in Tamil Nadu, will see a physical advance of this November Scored 54.9%. He said the KKNPP 3 and 4 units are expected to be completed by March 2023 and November 2023, respectively. The Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility (FRFCF) project is currently being carried out by the Nuclear Recycle Board, BARC and the Department of Atomic Energy. The progress of the project is 32% as of November 30th and should be completed by December 2027.
He said the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), which is being built by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (BHAVINI) in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, is in the integrated commissioning phase. “The project was originally approved in 2003 and should be completed by September 2010. According to the latest approval, the revised completion target for the project is October 2022, ”said Jitendra Singh.
He said the government has allocated Rs.250 billion for the pre-project activities of FBR-1 and 2 to be built in Kalpakkam. Detailed design and analyzes of FBR-1 & 2 are being carried out at the Indira Gandhi Center for Atomic Research, taking into account the commissioning and operational feedback from PFBR.