India’s nuclear technology export future
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 Panel on Emerging Nuclear Powers
 September 22 2010
 Presenter: S L Rao
A Nuclear India
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 India started work on the peaceful use of atomic
energy in the early 1950’s
 Large body of trained scientists and engineers
 Nuclear power program proceeded with little fuel or
technological assistance
 Power reactors to mid 1990s had lowest capacity
utilization factors, due technical difficulties because
of isolation, but rose from 60% in 1995 to 85% in
2001-02. In 2008-10 load factors dropped due to
shortage of uranium fuel. Now improved due
resumed uranium supplies
Towards Self-sufficiency
 Uranium exploration and mining
 Fuel fabrication
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 Heavy water production
 Reactor design and construction
 Reprocessing and waste management
 Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) finalized in
1964; this prototype - Rajasthan-1, with Canada's Douglas
Point reactor as reference unit in 1964, built as
collaborative venture between Atomic Energy of Canada
Ltd (AECL) and NPCIL. Started up in 1972 and duplicated
Subsequent indigenous PHWR development has been
based on these units.
 By 2020 nuclear generation capacity targeted at 21,180 MW
 Small fast breeder reactor of 500 MWe prototype under
construction at Kalpakkam; and further oxide-fuel fast reactors
 Is building a much larger one.
 Also developing technology to utilize the abundant thorium
deposits as a nuclear fuel
 Exploded thermonuclear device in 1998
Nuclear Strategy
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Possible development of nuclear installed
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capacity
Gwe=Giga Watts of Electricity; LWRE=light water reactor; FBR-fast breeder reactor
Assumptions:
FBR technology is successful expect 2011
8 GW of LWR acquired through imports by
2017.
Developed Advanced Heavy Water Reactor
using Thorium by 2020.
Economics of PFBR
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Capacity – 500 MWe
Capital cost – Rs. 3492 Crores
Cost of energy – Rs. 3.25 per kWh
Fuel – MOX (PuO2 and UO2). 29% PuO2
Burn-up rate – 100 GWd/t
Expected operating life – 60 years
Expected cost reduction due to technology learning – 25%.
Gestation period – 5 years.
Next generation reactors will be of capacity 1000 MW.
Five designs being considered.
Prototype fast breeder reactor
Goals of Third Stage
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 Utilization of the Thorium fuel on a commercial
scale.
 Large scale deployment of nuclear power.
 Achieving excellent economics comparable to other
alternatives.
 Providing non-electrical application, in particular
desalination and high-temperature processing
applications including non-fossil fluid fuels.
Potential from Nuclear energy
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Heavy Engineering capability-1
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 Larsen & Toubro (L&T) in July 2008 preparing for international
markets for supply of heavy engineering components for nuclear
reactors.
 L & T J.V. with NPCIL building plant for domestic and export
nuclear forgings to produce 600-tonne ingots in steel melt shop; a
very large forging press to supply finished forgings for nuclear
reactors, pressurizes and steam generators; also heavy forgings
for critical equipment in the hydrocarbon sector and for thermal
power plants.
 In 2009, L&T signed four agreements with foreign nuclear power
reactor vendors. 1. With Westinghouse for component modules
for Westinghouse's AP1000 reactor. 2. With Atomic Energy of
Canada Ltd (AECL) "to develop a competitive cost/scope model
for the ACR-1000." 3. With Atomstroyexport for components for
the next four VVER reactors at Kudankulam, extending beyond
that to other Russian VVER plants in India and internationally. 4.
With GE Hitachi to produce major components for ABWRs.
(advanced heavy water reactor)
Heavy Engineering Capability-2
 Two companies to utilize indigenous Indian
capabilities for complete10construction of nuclear
power plants including the supply of reactor
equipment and systems, valves, electrical and
instrumentation products for ABWR plants to be
built in India. L&T "will collaborate with GEH to
engineer, manufacture, construct and provide
certain construction management services" for the
ABWR project.
 Early in 2010 L&T signed an agreement with Rolls
Royce to produce technology and components for
light water reactors in India and internationally
 Two other large engineering companies entering
nyclear-Bharat Forge and Bharat Heavy Electricals
 Long-term goal to develop an advanced heavywater thorium cycle. First stage of this employs the
PHWRs (pressurized heavy water reactors) fuelled
by natural uranium, and light water reactors, to
produce plutonium.
Commitments and Policies
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 India never a nuclear weapons proliferator, unlike China,
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North Korea and Pakistan
Has never used nuclear weapons as direct or implied
threat
India declared nuclear no-first-use policy and is
developing a nuclear doctrine based on "credible
minimum deterrence
Considers NPT and CTBT are discriminatory
To combat climate change India requires substantial
nuclear energy capacity
Must rise from 20000 MW by 2020 to 63,000
MWe by 2032 and aims to supply 25% of
electricity from nuclear power by 2050
Export Opportunities in coming years for India
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 TOP PRIORITY IS TO RAPIDLY EXPAND
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ELECTRICITY CAPACITY
Equipment
Different stages of nuclear energy
EPC contracts
Operations
Technology
 THE END