BY PTI | APR 09, 2017,
04.44 PM IST
LOS
ANGELES: The global nuclear industry is going through a virtual meltdown on
both sides of the Atlantic Ocean.
This is happening even as India is investing
heavily in nuclear energy. This collapse of atomic giants offers New Delhi a
new opportunity and many in the Indian atomic establishment are silently
celebrating this premature death of suitors who were wooing to put tens of atomic
plants in India estimated to cost at least $150 billion.
"This
atomic meltdown is a blessing in disguise" was how a top government
official described the unfolding scenario.
In addition, in these changed circumstances, if
the Indian private industry plays its cards right, it could also provide an
opportunity to the country to become a hub for low cost suppliers of nuclear
technology. A little far-fetched but who knows how energy games get played in
the future.
In a way the diplomatic noose that had been tightened around
India's neck to buy super expensive French and American nuclear reactors has on
its own been loosened if not shed at all.
As part of the protracted global negotiations on
admitting India back into the nuclear commerce club, a kind of barter deal had
happened and India had committed itself to buy French and American reactors,
but now that the commercial operations of at least two of the foreign giants is
floundering, India need not back down from its commercial commitments.
India can retain the moral high ground of wanting to buy the
French and American reactors but since the companies themselves are in trouble
no deals can be inked. India can once again hope to forge its own nuclear path
free of shackles of forced imports of untested technologies.
The American atomic giant Westinghouse Electric
Company, LLC filed for 'bankruptcy' a week ago, last year the French nuclear
giant Areva went through a similar process.
Both these companies had shown aggressive interest in setting
up atomic power plants soon after the Indo-US civilian nuclear deal was inked.
Both wanted a large chunk of the nuclear commerce worth billions of dollars
that India was holding out as a promise once New Delhi was extricated from the
atomic dog-house as a consequence of the landmark Indo-US civilian nuclear
deal.
All along as negotiations were going on around the Indo-US
civilian nuclear deal, there was a small but influential group in the Indian
nuclear establishment that was most uncomfortable at importing so many
different types of reactors.
This group felt that since India had mastered
the making of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR's) the effort should
ideally be to multiple this technology while alongside India's futuristic
reactors the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor which uses plutonium as its main
fuel and the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor that uses thorium as its main fuel
could be promoted.
Jairam Ramesh, the engineer-turned-influential
politician in the United Progressive Alliance government, was an early opponent
of importing so many different types of reactors.
Towards mastering the PHWR, India on its own
first enhanced the capacity of these reactors from 220 MW to 540 MW by
constructing two of them at Tarapur in Maharashtra and then the same reactor
has been modified to enhance the capacity to 700 MW with four units already
under construction at Kakrapar and Rawatbhatta.
Among imported reactors India successfully
started commercial operation of two 1000 MW units at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu
these are made with Russian help. In the Indian nuclear establishment some felt
the Russian reactors and the Indian three stage program was more than enough to
ensure long term energy security for the country.
Mastering several different technologies is a
complex task and there was a lot of consternation among several senior
scientists that if the entire Indo-US civilian nuclear deal were to be
implemented then at least three new reactor types would have to mastered.
These included Areva proposing to put six atomic
plants each of 1650 MW capacity at Jaitapur in Maharashtra. Westinghouse was
wanting to sell at least 6 reactors of 1200 MW each to be put up at Kovadda in
Andhra Pradesh -- these were initially proposed to be put up at Mithivirdi in
Gujarat but land acquisition issues forced Westinghouse to opt for a different
site.
General Electric was proposing to put a mega
nuclear park as well. Each of these three different reactors are very different
from each other and an entirely new set of people would have to be trained to
safely operate these.Typically each new reactor operates for 60 years
and then it takes another couple of decades to safely decommission them hence
the investment of human resources is a commitment of at least a century.
With Westinghouse filing for bankruptcy it is
highly unlikely that India would order any reactors from them anytime soon. The
idea was to order in one go 6 nuclear plants that would be delivered on a
'turnkey' basis. Now that Westinghouse itself says it can only supply the
technology for the nuclear island and does not want to undertake any
construction activity.
Despite the fact India has already committed to
pay Rs 100 crore to Westinghouse while ordering the AP 1000 reactors. These
orders may obviously go into cold storage till Westinghouse and Toshiba its
parent company in Japan iron out their differences.
Westinghouse denies that the India project is
derailed but experts say expect delays galore.
Similarly, Areva the French giant that owned all the nuclear
technology for the EPR 1650 MW reactor having been almost dissolved and the
affairs taken over by 'Electricite de France' or EDF the French electricity
utility, these reactors for which quite a bit of ground work was already done
at Jaitapur has also been cold shouldered since no buyer government would want
to get involved when a messy fight is ongoing in the French public sector
companies on ownership of the atomic plants.
On its own General Electric has been dragging its feet on
bidding for reactors in India since its lawyers felt India's nuclear liability
law was more 'people friendly' as opposed to the usual global nuclear liability
law that is 'industry friendly'.
In this scenario India is left with no other
option but to multiply its indigenous fleet of 700 MW PHWR's and simultaneously
expand its collaboration with Russia to buy at least 20 more Russian plants
similar in nature but probably more advanced than the reactors operating at
Kudankulam.
After India was admitted into the nuclear fold
to allow global nuclear commerce all restrictions at importing uranium have
already gone and if India seeks to multiply manifold its own home grown
reactors that should not be difficult.
In addition since the co-operation with Russia
is blossoming more light water reactors could well be ordered from Russia.
This sudden change in the wind direction with
American and French nuclear companies all doddering has in way brought India
back to where it was in 2004 before US President George Bush decided to shake
hands and be friends with India in the nuclear power sector.
At that point India had its PHWR's and the
Russian tech but what the country lacked was an assured supply of uranium fuel.
India does not have sufficient native resources of uranium and if the nuclear
program has to expand then importing uranium was the only option.
Today the supply of imported uranium fuel is
well guaranteed under global law thanks to the atomic embrace but this melt
down of nuclear giants has tilted the balance in India's favour.
Now without ever having to officially deny buying expensive
French and American reactors, New Delhi can opt to expand its existing fleet of
atomic plants on its own terms. This 'meltdown' is making the Indian nuclear
establishment smile all the way.
Read more at:
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