Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire: Nuclear Power Corporation of India

Showing posts with label Nuclear Power Corporation of India. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

The French affair

The agreement on building nuclear power reactors was always going to be the centrepiece of President Nicholas Sarkozy's visit to India. France was quick off the mark to conclude a civilian nuclear agreement with India in 2008; and the framework agreement signed between the French nuclear firm Areva and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India to build two of the six planned reactors in Maharashtra was an outcome of this. Some issues relating to the proposed $9.3 billion deal need to be ironed out; these relate to Indian safety and cost concerns over Areva's advanced but yet-to-be-proven EPR reactors as well as French discomfort with the civilian nuclear liability legislation recently adopted by the Indian Parliament. While nuclear commerce will be an important new component of the bilateral relationship, Mr. Sarkozy's visit gave both countries an opportunity to come closer on a broad range of bilateral and global issues. The full-throated reaffirmation of French support for India's permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council has been warmly received. The resolve to enhance bilateral cooperation in the G20 to make it an effective tool for overhauling the international monetary system and for stabilising commodity prices, and to work together in international forums on issues such as Afghanistan, terrorism, and climate change are indicators of deepening political ties. At least in principle, all this should help India achieve a better balance in external relations, which are at present seriously distorted by strategic over-dependence on the United States and a lack of clear commitment to a multi-polar world order.
More at:
http://www.thehindu.com/opinion/editorial/article939983.ece

Friday, November 12, 2010

GE to work with India for cost-effective nuclear energy

Global Energy major General Electric Hitachi(GEH) said it remains committed to working with India to help it realise the tremendous potential of clean, safe and cost-effective nuclear energy. Congratulating Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and US President Barack Obama, senior vice president of nuclear plant projects at the GE unit, Daniel L Roderick, told PTI, "We appreciate the efforts of both governments (America and India) to establish a basis for civil nuclear cooperation and the path forward set forth in the joint statement." "GEH is committed to working with India to help it realise the tremendous potential of clean, safe and cost-effective nuclear energy," Roderick said. Meanwhile, veteran US nuclear businessmen are of the opinion that negotiations with GEH and Westinghouse-Toshiba will now begin in earnest.
"Both GEH and Westinghouse tried their best to go for a 'perfect deal'(change the Indian Civil Liability Law) before Obama's India visit, but now they know that it did not happen and will not happen," they said.
"With that grounded reality they will try to get the next best closure with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE)," they said adding eventually the deal will be made but it may take at least two years looking at the negotiations with the French company AREVA.
http://www.hindustantimes.com/GE-to-work-with-India-for-cost-effective-nuclear-energy/Article1-624924.aspx

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Shortcomings in U.S. firm's reactor design may delay deal conclusion

Even as representatives from the U. S. nuclear power companies, Westinghouse Electric Co. and GE Energy, are currently continuing their company-to-company negotiations with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) for building American-made nuclear reactors in India following the Indo-U.S. nuclear deal, significant cost overruns in the nuclear plants being built by the Westinghouse in China have come to light.
As has been reported earlier (The Hindu, April 3), shortcomings in the design of the Westinghouse's advanced technology reactor AP1000 — which is what India plans to buy from the company — are likely to delay the conclusion of the commercial agreement with the NPCIL by at least a year. The report in The Hindu also stated that the NPCIL officials were aware of these safety concerns in the AP1000 reactors.
These shortcomings, which have to do with inadequate containment features in the design and consequent safety concerns, had been raised by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) in its report in October 2009. More at:
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=247854211242866212

Monday, October 25, 2010

India's NTPC scouts globe for reactor suppliers for independent nuke power foray

from Pimagazine Asia news feed

Mr Arup Roy Choudhury Anil Sasi New Delhi, Oct. 23 NTPC Ltd is scouting for tie-ups with global reactor manufacturers for setting up nuclear power projects on its own. The thermal power major, which already has a minority stake in a partnership with its state-owned counterpart Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) for setting up nuclear units, also plans to firm up independent collaborations with global reactor vendors to set up imported Light Water Reactor-based atomic projects. NTPC's 49:51 joint venture with NPCIL is slated to commence operations with a 700-MWe indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor-based project. “The Indo-US (nuclear) deal has opened up opportunities… We will enter the nuclear business with the NPCIL joint venture. But in the light of the opportunities, we would want to go on our own and will scout for tie-ups with global reactor firms,” NTPC's Chairman and Managing Director, Mr Arup Roy Choudhury, said.

India has broadly shortlisted four reactor technologies for future Light Water Reactor-based projects — Westinghouse Electric Company's AP1000 series of reactors, GE-Hitachi's ESBWR reactor series, Areva 1,650 MWe European Pressurised Reactors and the Russian state-owned firm Atomstroyexport's VVER reactor series. The Atomic Energy Act, 1962 “requires nuclear power generation to be done by a government company in which at least 51 per cent of shares are held by the Central Government.”

A state-owned utility such as NTPC, where the Centre has an 84.5 per cent stake, automatically qualifies to set up nuclear projects on its own. The company hopes to draw from its initial exposure to the sector through its joint venture with NPCIL.NTPC had earlier this year signed the pact with NPCIL for incorporating a joint venture company for setting up nuclear projects. The venture is likely to take up a 700-MWe indigenous reactor-based project shortly.

Currently, NPCIL and its sister firm BHAVINI are the two companies that are in the business of setting up nuclear power plants in the country. There are 19 nuclear power reactors with a capacity of 4,560 MWe in operation in the country at present. India has drawn up an ambitious plan to have an installed nuclear capacity of 63,000 MWe in 2032, of which about 40,000 MW will be generated through Light Water Reactors sourced through international cooperation.

http://www.pimagazine-asia.com/index.php?page=shownews&news=2781

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Asian nations need to cooperate in nuclear field

As a whopping 271 nuclear power reactors are being planned in Asia, there is an urgent need for cooperation among countries of the region to the meet the various technological and infrastructural challenges and proliferation concerns, a top industry official said here Monday. 'The Asian nations have to face the challenges like choice of technology and reactor size, setting up acceptable infrastructure, developing human resource, developing safety and quality culture, gaining pubic confidence, setting up regulatory framework, management of spent fuel and instituting nuclear non-proliferation and nuclear security framework,' said S.K.Jain, chairman and managing director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL)

India's strength lies in building small and modular reactors (SMR) an idea that is being discussed in the nuclear world. The country can export 220 MW pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWR) to friendly countries. 'The strength of Asia in the nuclear domain includes human resources, lowest cost, well developed industry and allied infrastructure and development of end-to-end technologies in the nuclear power field,' Jain added. According to him, 493 reactors are being planned and proposed in the world, of which 271 are in Asia. Leading the Asian pack is China that has planned 153 reactors followed by India with 60 reactors, Vietnam (14), Japan(13), South Korea, Indonesia and Thailand (six each), Kazakhstan and Pakistan (four each), Bangladesh (two), Armenia, Malaysia and North Korea (one each)

Friday, September 24, 2010

Bhel in JV with NPCIL & Alstom for N-plant

New Delhi: State-owned Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd will soon set up a joint venture with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd and Alstom Ltd for setting up civil nuclear power plants in the country, Heavy Industries secretary Bhawani Singh Meena said on Thursday.
All the three companies will have 33.33% equity each in the joint venture, which would get approval from department of atomic energy within a month, Meena said.
The investment details are being worked out, Meena said, adding the joint venture was conceived a couple of years ago but government was awaiting the passage of nuclear liability Bill for the joint venture to take off.
The bill was passed in last monsoon session of Parliament.
Currently, nuclear power plants can be set up only by Nuclear Power Corporation of India.
Alstom, a French company, is a global major involved with manufacture of power equipment. The company would be technology partner in the joint venture.

(India)http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Bhel-in-JV-with-NPCIL---Alstom-for-N-plant/686729/

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

India to Offer Small to Medium Nuclear Power Plants

India is poised to become a global player in the nuclear industry business by offering a variety of options to countries requiring cost-competitive and proven technology like pressurized heavy water reactors (PWHR), a top official said Wednesday.
Addressing the 54th General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna Wednesday, Atomic Energy Commission chairman Srikumar Banerjee said that the Indian PHWRs offer a basket of options for countries looking for cost-competitive and proven technologies in small and mid-sized reactors.
Accordingly, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is ready to offer PHWRs of 220 MWe or 540 MWe capacity for exports.
"Indian industry is not only poised to make a bigger contribution to India's own nuclear program, but also is on the way to becoming a competitive supplier in the global market with regard to special steels, large-sized forgings, control instruments, software, other nuclear components and services," Banerjee said.
In this context, he mentioned that India is in the process of setting up a Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership, which would provide a forum for joint work with international partners in areas of topical interest.
Banerjee added that the government had granted in-principle approval to five energy parks at five coastal sites in India.
"Each such park would be populated with a number of water-cooled reactors to be constructed through international co-operation," he said.
These would enable India expand its installed nuclear power capacity to about 60GWe by 2032, even as the global nuclear power generation is expected to touch 500 GWe by 2030
More at:
.http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_news/archive/2010/09/22/India-to-Offer-Small-to-Medium-Nuclear-Power-Plants-092202.aspx