Cii Panel Moots Jvs For Nuclear Power Corp

A committee of the Confederation of Indian Industry has suggested that the Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) should form joint-ventures to enhance nuclear power capacity in the country.

In a note to the department of atomic energy, the committee has identified the need to add 10,000 mw of nuclear power by 2010.

The committee, headed by NPC managing director Y S R Prasad, says that considering the possibility of a resource crunch in this sector the government should rope in foreign investment.

It has also recommended that the pricing of nuclear power should be based on replacement cost basis. It says that the government should restructure tariff is a manner that it reflects the current capital costs as well as current operating costs. This would enable nuclear power ventures to generate enough internal resources for their expansion programmes. The note suggested that NPC should retain majority shareholding in its joint ventures.