:
(a) Whether the Government has made any Nuclear Power Programme based on indigenous nuclear fuel resources;
(b) If so, the details thereof; and
(c) The present status thereon?
:
(a) Whether the Government has made any Nuclear Power Programme based on indigenous nuclear fuel resources;
(b) If so, the details thereof; and
(c) The present status thereon?
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (SHRI PRITHVIRAJ CHAVAN)
(a) Yes Sir. A three-stage nuclear power programme to utilize large thorium
reserves in the country for electricity generation has been envisaged since
the inception of nuclear power programme in the country.
(b) The three stages of the programme are :
Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, (PHWR) in the first stage, based
on natural uranium available in the country.
Fast Breeder Reactors (FBR) utilising plutonium-uranium fuel cycle,
in the second stage.
Reactors for utilisation of our vast resources of thorium, in the
third stage.
The three stages have important fuel cycle linkages and have to
be gone through sequentially.
(c) At present there are 16 (14 PHWRs and 2 Boiling Water Reactors)
power reactors in operation with a total capacity of 3900 MWe. In addition,
four Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) and two Light Water
Reactors (LWRs) are under construction.
A beginning to the second stage programme has been made with the start
of construction of 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at
Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu.
A technology demonstration project for utilization of Thorium on a large
scale is currently under pre-licensing review. A small research reactor
Kalpakkam Mini Reactor (KAMINI) which runs on Uranium 233 derived
from Thorium is already in operation.