Latest news with #NPCIL
India.com
4 days ago
- Business
- India.com
India to build nuclear power plants in this state bordering Pakistan, government approves...
India to build nuclear power plants in this state bordering Pakistan, government approves… What comes as good news for Rajasthan, a state bordering Pakistan, is that a major nuclear project is going to start in the state. The mega project also got the green light from India's nuclear regulator to build four 700 MW capacity units of nuclear power reactors in Mahi Banswara. AERB Approved The Project After three levels of review, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has approved the project site. These indigenously developed reactors will play a crucial role in meeting the country's energy needs. After approving the project, the AERB stated that the consent will be reviewed again if the conditions are not followed. The Mahi Banswara project is being implemented by Anushakti Vidyut Nigam. It is a joint venture of NPCIL and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). These Companies To Build Nuclear Power Plants India's Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini) currently hold the authority to construct and manage nuclear power plants. A 2015 amendment to the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 enabled joint ventures between NPCIL and other public sector entities for this purpose. Meanwhile, ongoing genomic surveillance is monitoring for new COVID-19 variants. Current cases are reported as mild, and the public is advised to remain vigilant but not alarmed. It is worth noting that India is the world's fastest-growing economy and it requires a significant amount of electricity. To meet the electricity needs of high economic growth and the requirement of 1.3 billion people, the country needs to make and take action on big plans, on which work is also being done rapidly. Coal Is The Major Source Of Energy India primarily generates electricity from coal but is actively expanding its renewable energy sector, encompassing solar, wind, hydro, and biomass power. Nuclear power generation is also being developed. India's nuclear power generation capacity has significantly expanded over the past decade, nearly doubling from 4,780 MW in 2014 to 8,180 MW in 2024. Further growth is projected, with a threefold increase to 22,480 MW anticipated by 2031-32. Thorium Reserve Notably, India has an abundant reserve of thorium, which amounts to 21 percent of the global thorium. To make better use of the resource, indigenous projects such as Bhavani are being developed so that the dependency on importing uranium and other materials can be reduced. Currently, as many as nine atomic power projects are under construction, while several others are in the pipeline will start in the coming years.
Hindustan Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
A new legal architecture for nuclear power sector
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi's new emphasis on nuclear power is in line with renewed global interest in this clean and stable source of electricity, which also supports India's quest for energy sovereignty, independence and security. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), demand for electricity is growing at twice the rate of other forms of energy — and six times faster in the developing world — due to urbanisation, prosperity, transportation, air conditioning and the exponential growth in demand from data centres. Globally, nuclear power contributes to 9% of power generated, second behind hydropower as a source of non-fossil fuel. According to IEA, 63 reactors with a capacity of 70 GW are under construction — 25 are of Chinese design and 23 of Russian design. After decades of standstill, countries like France and the US are resuming capacity addition. There is new excitement on the prospects of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). SMRs have many advantages — shorter construction time, lower risk of cost and time overruns, better grid stability, manageable project costs, a payback period of 10-15 years, which is half that of large nuclear reactors, and amenability to project financing and refinancing. The US and China lead SMR development, with technology expected to mature by early 2030s. India is an early starter with high competence in all aspects of nuclear energy. However, growth, driven by indigenised technology and public monopoly, is sluggish. Nuclear power accounts for only 3% of electricity generated in India. The target set in 2007 for 63,000 MWe by 2032 has been replaced by the target of 100,000 MWe by 2047. That goal is unattainable in the current institutional and regulatory environment. The NSG exemption in 2008 and bilateral agreements opened access to international uranium sources, but progress on international nuclear technology and reactors to supplement domestic ones have been hampered by regulatory issues, especially the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act (CLNDA) 2010, which has also led domestic suppliers to seek indemnities from the operator, NPCIL. The government's intention to amend the Atomic Energy Act 1962 (AEA) and the CLNDA are timely and welcome. Comprehensive and unambiguous legislative changes can open up additional sources of investment in a highly capital-intensive sector, create a broader pool of developers and operators and accelerate industrialisation. Foreign participation can go beyond equipment supplies. The distributed market structure and wider industrial base associated with SMRs, in particular, require legal and regulatory changes. India's nuclear liability regime diverges significantly from international norms, particularly the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage (CSC). The CLNDA, a well-meaning law intended to protect victims, has ended up discouraging supplier engagement. Neither the CLNDA rules, whose provisions on capping liability could be struck down as excessive delegation, nor the clarifications and assurances offered by the government through FAQs, which are not legally binding, have assured foreign or domestic suppliers. A comprehensive amendment, rather than piecemeal fixes, is required. The amendment could either delete Section 17(b) to remove fault-based supplier liability, in line with CSC, or incorporate the relevant provisions of the CLND rules and FAQs to provide statutory caps on liability and claims periods. In addition, Section 46 would have to be amended to clearly bar all civil liability claims outside the CLNDA framework, while preserving the application of criminal liability. Amendments to Sections 5 and 9 would clarify that claims may only be made in accordance with CLNDA. The clarification in FAQ that the primary reactor vendor or technology provider would be deemed to be the supplier needs to be incorporated. Complex decisions will be required to determine activities to be opened to the private sector in nuclear power as well as the level of private ownership and foreign shareholding, if any. The simplest proposition is for NPCIL or a government company to build, operate and control plants funded by the private sector; or, outsource the construction of reactors and power plants to the private sector, with status quo in every other aspect. However, the latter should be permitted to invest in, own and operate nuclear power plants, including reactors and power plants, under a strict licensing regime that addresses national security, proliferation and safety concerns, oversight needs and international obligations. Indian companies could be allowed full ownership and foreign ones up to 49%. For both large and SMR reactors, we would need standardisation, industrialisation and economies of scale. At the initial stages at least, the government will have to retain full control of the complete nuclear fuel cycle. Globally, too, there are few actors involved in this process. There would, thus, be a separation between ownership and management of nuclear power plants, on the one hand, and of the fuel cycle on the other. Nuclear power generators would be treated on par with other power companies with administrative supervision by the ministry of power, while control of the nuclear fuel cycle would rest with the department of atomic energy. This framework would entail amending Section 3 of the AEA to redefine atomic energy activities as universally licensable, allowing private companies to participate under central government oversight; amending Section 14 to allow up to 100% private ownership, including by companies with foreign investment, subject to security clearance; reforming Section 20 to permit intellectual property ownership for civilian nuclear research and development. Indian and other startups developing SMRs, for instance, should be allowed to retain and commercialise their technology; and, reforming Section 22 to place the regulation of electricity tariffs and trading under the Electricity Regulatory Commissions governed by the Electricity Act, 2003. Further, permitting foreign investment would require amendments to FEMA and FDI policy and rules. Private sector entry and large-scale deployment of SMRs would need a more independent and empowered AERB. Assured availability of human resources, finance, and fuel will be essential for growth. India's private sector and startup community can meet the stringent requirements of the nuclear power sector through research, innovation, advanced engineering, investments and responsible and safe project management. Comprehensive and clear reforms will unlock foreign capital and participation. Nuclear power will have to be an integral component of an energy strategy needed to achieve the goal of Viksit Bharat while ensuring clean energy transition and energy access and equity for all. Akshay Jaitly is a founding partner of Trilegal and Jawed Ashraf is a retired Indian ambassador. The views expressed are personal. Get 360° coverage—from daily headlines to 100 year archives.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
AERB okays Mahi Banswara site to build 4 N-power plants
1 2 3 New Delhi: India's nuclear regulator has approved a proposal to build four 700MWe units of atomic power reactors at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) granted the approval to the project site after a three-tier review subject to satisfactory compliance with the stipulations and conditions. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) applied to the AERB seeking consent for the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP) site to build four indigenously developed pressurised heavy water reactor (PHWR) of 700 MWe capacity. "Consent is hereby granted for siting of MBRAPP 1 to 4, subject to satisfactory compliance to the stipulations and conditions specified in Annexure 1," the AERB said. "The Consent will be subjected to re-review for any non-compliance to the stipulations and conditions. The Consent shall not be transferable without the prior approval of the Competent Authority," the nuclear regulator said. The Mahi Banswara project is being implemented by Anushakti Vidyut Nigam, a joint venture between NPCIL and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
AERB approves Mahi Banswara site in Rajasthan to build four 700 MWe nuclear power plants
India's nuclear regulator has approved a proposal to build four 700MWe units of atomic power reactors at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) granted the approval to the project site after a three-tier review subject to satisfactory compliance with the stipulations and conditions. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) applied to the AERB seeking consent for the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP) site to build four indigenously developed Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) of 700 MWe capacity. "Consent is hereby granted for Siting of MBRAPP 1 to 4, subject to satisfactory compliance to the stipulations and conditions specified in Annexure 1," the AERB said. "The Consent will be subjected to re-review for any non-compliance to the stipulations and conditions. The Consent shall not be transferable without the prior approval of the Competent Authority," the nuclear regulator said. The Mahi Banswara project is being implemented by Anushakti Vidyut Nigam , a joint venture between NPCIL and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC). At present, NPCIL and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini) are allowed to build and operate nuclear power plants. An amendment to the Atomic Energy Act-1962 in 2015 paved the way for joint ventures between NPCIL and other public sector companies to build nuclear power plants. The MBRAPP units are among ten 700 MWe PHWRs that the government plans to build under the fleet mode approach, approval for which was granted in 2017. Besides Mahi Banswara, the fleet mode nuclear plants will come up at Kaiga NPP (two units), Gorakhpur-Haryana (two units) and Chutka-Madhya Pradesh (two units).
Time of India
6 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
AERB approves Mahi Banswara site in Rajasthan to build four 700 MWe nuclear power plants
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel India's nuclear regulator has approved a proposal to build four 700MWe units of atomic power reactors at Mahi Banswara in Rajasthan. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) granted the approval to the project site after a three-tier review subject to satisfactory compliance with the stipulations and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) applied to the AERB seeking consent for the Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project (MBRAPP) site to build four indigenously developed Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) of 700 MWe capacity."Consent is hereby granted for Siting of MBRAPP 1 to 4, subject to satisfactory compliance to the stipulations and conditions specified in Annexure 1," the AERB said."The Consent will be subjected to re-review for any non-compliance to the stipulations and conditions. The Consent shall not be transferable without the prior approval of the Competent Authority," the nuclear regulator Mahi Banswara project is being implemented by Anushakti Vidyut Nigam , a joint venture between NPCIL and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).At present, NPCIL and Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Limited (Bhavini) are allowed to build and operate nuclear power plants. An amendment to the Atomic Energy Act-1962 in 2015 paved the way for joint ventures between NPCIL and other public sector companies to build nuclear power MBRAPP units are among ten 700 MWe PHWRs that the government plans to build under the fleet mode approach, approval for which was granted in Mahi Banswara, the fleet mode nuclear plants will come up at Kaiga NPP (two units), Gorakhpur-Haryana (two units) and Chutka-Madhya Pradesh (two units).
