nuclear-news

India’s unrealistic nuclear power plans

Nuclear trade with India risks boosting arms race – The West Australian,Scott Ludlam,13 June 11 “……I have spent time in India studying the nuclear industry, which is famous for its unrealistic projections of future civil nuclear prospects.

The document Vision 2020 deemed it possible and necessary to have an installed nuclear power capacity of 20,000MW by 2020. Vision 2020 involves the setting up of additional nuclear power plants, with five fast-breeder reactors generating 2500MW, heavy water reactors generating 10,000MW and about 8000MW generated by light-water reactors.

Given that nuclear power currently provides around 2 per cent of India’s total electricity, and considering the rate of build and the economic downturn, this is highly unlikely. In 1985, a 15-year plan was formulated which proposed that India go in for massive new construction to bring the capacity to 10,000MW by 2000.

The reality in 2009 was an installed nuclear capacity of only 4120MW.India’s current installed energy capacity is 145,626MW. At a compounding rate of growth of 8 per cent annually, as is predicted between 2009 and 2020, total generation capacity will double to about 339,547MW.If the nuclear industry were to account for 25 per cent of this capacity as claimed, the total would have to increase from present capacity of 4120MW to 84,886MW, the equivalent of building eight 1000MW plants every year from today to 2020.
Nuclear trade with India risks boosting arms race – The West Australian

June 14, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | business and costs, India