State-owned electricity producer, National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC), plans to set up nuclear power projects across the country to achieve its goal of contributing 30 per cent to India’s proposed 100 GW nuclear capacity by 2047.
Sharing updates on the company’s ambitious nuclear expansion plans, a senior official of the company said the power producer is currently evaluating land options in several states, including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Andhra Pradesh, where it aims to set up power projects with 700 MW, 1,000 MW and 1,600 MW capacity.
Industry estimates indicate that a 1-GW nuclear plant requires an investment of ₹15,000–20,000 crore and typically takes at least three years from concept to commissioning.
NTPC will then proceed with nuclear development in states identified and approved by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).
“The AERB will approve the sites, and NTPC will accordingly implement the projects,” said the official, who is involved in the company’s strategic planning.
Since the projects require raw materials like uranium for enrichment – a naturally occurring metallic element that is the primary fuel used in nuclear reactors – NTPC has also begun efforts to acquire the element’s assets overseas.
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For this, it has signed a draft agreement with the Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) for joint techno-commercial due diligence of uranium assets abroad.
The pressurised heavy-water reactors (PHWRs) required for the 700 MW and 1,000 MW plants would be developed by it indigenously.
“For the 1,600 MW nuclear projects, we may look for technology collaborations,” the official noted.
Established in 1975 as a thermal power generator, NTPC Ltd has steadily expanded and diversified into new energy sources. According to its website, the company currently has an installed capacity of 84,848 MW at group-level, spanning coal, gas/liquid fuel, hydro and solar power.
It is currently setting up a nuclear project in a joint venture (JV) with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) in Rajasthan, at an investment of about ₹42,000 crore. While NPCIL will have a majority stake in the project at 51 per cent, NTPC has a 49 per cent stake in ASHVINI (Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Ltd).
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the 4x700 MW Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP) being set up by ASHVINI at Banswara in September.
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