DAE working on increasing localisation to cut costs: Kakodkar.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dr Kakodkar said the fuel shortages being faced by nuclear power stations in
the country is likely to come down.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Our Bureau
New Delhi, Dec. 4 The Centre is planning to move expeditiously on the enactment
of a nuclear liability legislation, the Atomic Energy Commission Chairman, Dr
Anil Kakodkar, said here on Thursday.
Speaking at India Power Forum, Dr Kakodkar also said that the DAE was trying to
ensure that global reactor vendors agree to increasing levels of localisation
for reactor manufacture to bring down project costs for future Light Water
Reactors on the anvil, in a bid to keep tariffs from new nuclear projects under
check.
Need to move fast
"We have to move fast on the Liability Act.," Dr Kakodkar said in his special
address at the conference. Global reactor vendors, led by American reactor
manufacturers including General Electric and Westinghouse, have been lobbying
hard with the Indian Government to draft and ratify a domestic law consistent
with the Convention of Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, in order
to limit liabilities for the reactor vendors in case of an accident or mishap.
Dr Kakodkar also said the fuel shortages being faced by nuclear power stations
in the country are likely to come down in the light of the civil nuclear
cooperation agreements that India has entered into with several nations, which
would enable access to uranium imports possible in the near future.
Capacity push
Currently, domestic nuclear stations, which have an installed capacity of 4,120
MWe (mega watt electrical), are running at around half their capacity due to
shortage of uranium.
Dr Kakodkar said the country aims to generate 20,000 MWe of nuclear power by
2020, of which half of it would come from indigenously developed Pressurised
Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR).
"We aim to produce 10,000 MWe through PHWRs, about 5,000 MWe through imported
reactors and about 2,500 MWe through Fast Breeder Reactors," he said.
Private sector keen
Speaking at the event, the Power Secretary, Mr Anil Razdan, earlier said that
private developers were still keen to invest in new thermal and hydro power
projects, despite the financial crisis.
"At the moment, the enthusiasm among the private power developers has not died
down...We've had a meeting with them and the response was encouraging," he told
reporters here.
Govt help
He said that the government had provided necessary support to developers at the
time of crisis.
"Wherever help was needed, Petroleum Ministry, Coal Ministry, Railways and
banks have turned out to help," he added.
Several power project developers had complained that banks were displaying
credit aversion to the infrastructure sector, driven by sectoral exposure, cost
rise and lower than budgeted revenue flows.
http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2008/12/05/stories/2008120551680500.htm
Who is wise? He that learns from everyone. Who is powerful? He that governs his
passions. Who is rich? He who is content. Who is that? Nobody
- Benjamin Franklin
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