New Delhi: The Indian government proposes to build 18 more nuclear power reactors with a cumulative capacity of generating 13,800 MW of electricity and five sites have already been given in-principle approval, as per official documents.
The installed capacity of nuclear power plants in Tamil Nadu comprises of MAPS-1&2 (2X220 MW) at Kalpakkam and KKNPP-1&2 (2X1,000 MW) at Kudankulam. Together, the installed nuclear power capacity is 2,440 MW, which is around 30 per cent of the country’s total installed capacity of 8,180 MW.
At present, nuclear power reactors are located at 24 sites, including those in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
A Department of Atomic Energy document indicated that nuclear power projects under construction include Rawatbhata in Rajasthan with a capacity of 2×700 MW. The project, with a sanction cost of over Rs 22,900 crore is expected to be completed in the current financial year itself.
In Tamil Nadu, three units at Kundankulam and Kalpakkam, with a collective capacity of 2,500 MW, are under construction and are likely to be completed in phases between 2026 and 2028.
A nuclear plant with two 700 MW units is also being built in Haryana’s Gorakhpur at a cost of over Rs 20,000 crore. The project is likely to be completed by 2031-32.
Union Minister Jitendra Singh, who is in charge of the Department of Atomic Energy, recently said, “The process of identification of potential sites for locating future nuclear power plants is an ongoing activity, carried out by the Standing Site Selection Committee (SSSC) of the Department of Atomic Energy.”
Five new sites for new nuclear power plants, that have been accorded in-principle approval, include Andhra Pradesh’s Kovavada (6 units of 1,208 MW each), Maharashtra’s Jaitapur (6×1,730 MW), Gujarat’s Mithi Virdi (2×1,000 MW), Madhya Pradesh’s Bhimpur (4×700 MW), and West Bengal’s Haripur (6×1,000 MW).
