NTPC to mark nuclear power entry with 2,800 Mw project next month

Marking its entry into the nuclear power domain, state-owned power generator NTPC Ltd will next month lay the foundation stone for its 2,800 megawatt (MW) nuclear power project at Banswara in Rajasthan.

 

The project will house four pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) of 700 MW capacity each.

 

“We have decided, rightfully, we will go very aggressive on nuclear. We plan to add 30 gigawatt (GW) nuclear power capacity by 2047,” NTPC Chairman and Managing Director Gurdeep Singh said at the BloombergNEF Summit here.

 

“The foundation stone laying as part of the JV project with NPCIL should happen next month. It is as close as that,” he added.

 

 

NTPC plans to set up nuclear power projects both as part of an existing JV with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), called Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Ltd (ASVINI), and on a standalone basis. The Mahi Banswara project is being set up under the JV, where NTPC has a 49 per cent stake.

 

The first unit of the Rajasthan project is planned for commissioning in 2031 and the full plant is to be commissioned in 2036.

 

“By that time, we will take up many other plants too. We are in discussion with Tata Consulting Engineers (TCE), L&T, EDF, Rosatom, and Holtec and a few international consultants,” Singh said. NTPC is keen to join hands with service and technology providers, and it is exploring many sites across the country.

 

India currently has 8,800 MW installed nuclear power generation capacity, and plans to raise that figure to 200,000 MW (or 200 GW) by 2047. As part of the efforts to boost the sector, the government had announced a provision of around ₹20,000 crore in the last Union Budget.

 

“There is work already going on to set up 6,600 MW under construction projects and additional 7,000 MW capacity is under various stages of development, where our Mahi Banswara project is also coming. These plants are likely to come by 2030. So, we are going to get to around 20 GW. NPCIL itself has a target of reaching 50-55 GW capacity by 2047,” Singh said.

 

According to Singh, as the country moves towards 2036-37, it will be in a position to add around 10 GW of nuclear power generation capacity annually. “This is because work will be going on at 3-4 sites and also there is an exclusive mandatory zone for these nuclear power plants,” he said.

 

Given the low emission profile of nuclear power, and its use as a baseload source for the grid, the government is working to implement a slew of measures to ramp up nuclear power capacity addition, including allowing private sector entry into the sensitive industry.