Construction of 10 reactors approved

India is collaborating with its Russian and Bangladeshi partners on establishing Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant in Bangladesh, said Dr Sekhar Basu, Chairman Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy.

India has also signed Civil Nuclear Cooperation agreement with Japan and Vietnam, Dr Basu told the 61st IAEA General Conference held in Vienna 18-22 September 2017.

India became Associate Member of European Organisation of Nuclear Research (CERN) in November 2016.

He highlighted India’s achievements in the area of nuclear power, heavy water, nuclear fuel and associated material, uranium mining and milling, rare earth, radio isotopes and cancer care. All our research facilities, including synchrotron, cyclotron and reactors achieved their highest ever performance.

“We are making sustained efforts to achieve major growth in our programmes of nuclear energy and nuclear applications,” said Dr Basu.

Recently, the Indian Government has approved construction of 10 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors in serial mode and two more reactors at Kudankulam.

Apart from the objective of major growth in carbon free electricity production, this step will give major boost to the industries producing the reactor equipment in India.

With these reactors we will now have 21 reactors under construction and 22 reactors in operation. This will increase the capacity to over 22,000 MWe by the end of next decade. We shall continue to add more capacity in future, he said.

“To cater to the needs of expansion of nuclear power programme, we are also stepping up our exploration and mining operation for production of uranium.

“In the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor front, after completion of construction, the commissioning activities are making steady progress while fulfilling all the safety requirements,” said Dr Basu.

In the Cancer care sector, India has started construction/upgradation of 6 additional facilities in the country, which will help double over the next four to five years new patients being 70,000 treated as of now.

“We have established a cancer grid connecting over 100 hospitals for diagnostic and therapeutic consultancy. We are also reorganizing ourselves to cater to further expansion in terms of research, education and patient care,” he said.

In the frontier science area, India is establishing a small underground research laboratory in one of its uranium mines for pursuing research on dark matter. “This will enthuse scientists from all generations,” he added. Fii-news.com