Cost of nuclear power generation

Cost of nuclear power generation

There are 21 nuclear power reactors in the country with a total installed capacity of 5780 MW. Of this, a capacity of 3380 MW comprising 13 reactors, is under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards. Of the reactors under safeguards, one reactor, Rajasthan Atomic Power Station Unit-1 (RAPS–1) (100 MW) at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan is currently under extended shutdown for techno-economic assessment for continued operation. The Reactors under IAEA safeguards are fuelled with imported fuel, obtained as a result of nuclear cooperation agreements. The remaining reactors are fuelled with indigenous fuel.

The current tariff of nuclear power, both from indigenous reactors and from reactors set up with foreign technical cooperation is comparable with that of other contemporary base-load electricity generating technologies like coal based thermal power stations in the region.

The international cooperation agreements have opened up the possibilities of import of fuel for reactors under IAEA Safeguards and setting up large capacity nuclear power reactors in technical cooperation with foreign countries. In this regard the Government has accorded ‘in principle’ approval of the following sites, to set up Nuclear Power Plants in a phase-wise manner:

Site & Location	In Cooperation with	Capacity (MW)
Kudankulam, Tamil Nadu	Russian Federation	4 x 1000
Haripur, West Bengal		6 x 1000
Jaitapur, Maharashtra	France	6 x 1650
Kovvada, Andhra Pradesh	United States of America	6 x 1000*
Chhaya Mithi Virdi, Gujarat		6 x 1000*

*Nominal Capacity

           The actual percentage increase in power generation, on completion of these projects, would depend on the generation of electricity from other sources at that point of time.

This information was given by the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in reply to unstarred question in Rajya Sabha today.