The Hindu Business Line : MTAR Tech hands over grid plate tech to IGCAR

THE city-based MTAR Technologies on Sunday handed over the first indigenously developed `Grid Plate' manufacturing technology to the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR).

Terming it a "truly world-class achievement", the Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Dr Anil Kakodkar, said: "We are now charting territories which nobody had charted before. Hence, there is no need to worry about embargoes because nobody has anything to offer us in this regard."

Receiving the technology at a function organised on the premises of MTAR, Dr Kakodkar said that latest development had demonstrated the country's ability to translate research into technology and technology into product.

Stating that AEC's endeavour in the competitive world was to do things at minimum cost and in minimum time, he said that all the nuclear power projects including the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam were being executed ahead of schedule and less than the stipulated cost.

The IGCAR Director, Dr Baldev Raj, said that the development of indigenous capability for the manufacture of grid plate was yet another demonstration of "perfect interaction" between IGCAR and industry.

Besides MTAR, the Chennai-based Omplas was involved in the design and development of the technology.

Dr Raj said that the technology was developed at a cost of Rs 6.9 crore while the manufacturing of the grid plate would cost Rs 31 crore.

The grid plate would be manufactured and delivered to IGCAR by 2008 and the PFBR at Kalpakkam would go on stream by 2010.

The Chairman and Managing Director of the Nuclear Power Corporation, Mr S.K. Jain, said that the country had developed comprehensive capability in the Stage-I nuclear programme. In this phase, eight fast breeder reactors (FBRs), involving an investment of Rs 22,000 crore, would be established.

While two FBRs would be set up in Rajasthan, two each would be established at Kudankulam, Kaiga and Tarapur.

The MTAR CEO, Mr V. Sreeramulu, said that the company had specially constructed a large workshop and also established the requisite facilities for the manufacture of grid plates.

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