Question : NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME .

(a) whether the Government is very keen to implement the third stage of Indian Nuclear Power Programme;

(b) if so, the details thereof and the salient features of the programme;

(c) the list of nuclear power projects initiated during the last five years and to be initiated in the near future; and

(d) the amount earmarked for this programme and the estimated power likely to be generated?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR.JITENDRA SINGH):

(a)&(b) The Government is committed to implement the third stage of Indian Nuclear Power Programme, after an adequate nuclear installed capacity has been reached based on Fast Breeder Reactors to be set up in the second stage. On account of non-existence of any fissile isotope in naturally occurring Thorium (unlike that existing in Uranium), commercial utilisation of Thorium, on a significant scale, can begin only when abundant supply of either Uranium or Plutonium resources are available. Upon the launch, followed by a significant growth of a thorium based nuclear programme in this manner, it could be possible to maintain the achieved level (without much further growth) of nuclear power programme with thorium alone, without additional demands on uranium or plutonium resources. Therefore, considering the meager domestic uranium resources in the country, it is feasible to start a significant commercial level Thorium based reactor programme in our country only after an adequate inventory of Plutonium becomes available from our Fast Breeder Reactors, comprising the second stage of Indian nuclear programme. Accordingly, the utilisation of Thorium as a practically inexhaustible energy source has been contemplated during the third stage of the Indian nuclear programme, which can be reached after a few decades.

Substantial work has been carried out in the areas of research on technologies for utilisation of Thorium in nuclear fuel cycle, and on the development of an Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR), to serve as a technology demonstrator for use of thorium based fuel on a large scale.

(c) & (d) The details are given below:

Projects initiated in the last five years:

 
 Project	Location	Capacity	Completion	(MW)	Cost	(`crore) Kakrapar Atomic	Kakrapar, Gujarat	2 X 700	11459 Power Project Units 3&4 (KAPP 3&4) Rajasthan Atomic	Rawatbhata,	2 X 700	12320 Power Project Units	Rajasthan 7&8 (RAPP 7&8) 
 

 
 Project	Location	Capacity (MW) 
 Indigenous Reactors 
 Gorakhpur Haryana	Gorakhpur, Haryana	2 x 700 Anu Vidyut Pariyojana (GHAVP 1&2) Chutka Madhya	Chutka, Madhya Pradesh	2 x 700 Pradesh Atomic Power Project (CMPAPP 1&2) Mahi Banswara, 1&2	Mahi Banswara, Rajasthan	2 x 700 Kaiga 5&6	Kaiga, Karnataka	2 x 700 Fast Breeder	Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu	2 x 500 Reactor (FBR 1&2) 
 Advanced Heavy	Location to be decided	300 Water Reactor (AHWR) 
 Reactors with Foreign Cooperation 
 Kudankulam Nuclear	Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu	2 x 1000 Power Project (KKNPP 3&4) Jaitapur Nuclear	Jaitapur, Maharashtra	2 x 1650 Power Project (JNPP 1&2) Kovvada, 1 & 2	Kovvada, Andhra Pradesh	2 x 1500 
 Chhaya Mithi	Chhaya Mithi Virdi, Gujarat	2 x 1100 Virdi, 1&2