The Hindu Business Line : Kudankulam may get four more nuclear plants

Chennai, Aug 1 The next four nuclear reactors from Russia could well be located in Kudankulam itself, where currently two reactors of 1,000 MW each are being put up. “Kudankulam can take at least four more,” Dr Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, told Business Line on Wednesday.

“Of course. It is easy to install similar reactors in one place,” he said, asked if the nuclear power establishment in India would prefer Kudankulam as base. He said that negotiations were in progress with the Russians for the new reactors.

Dr Kakodkar stressed that the recently-concluded ‘123 Agreement’ with the United States was “an additionality” and that the domestic 3-stage programme would continue as planned.

“We have started a new (Uranium) mine in Bandhuharang (in Jharkhand). We are opening new mines in Andhra Pradesh and Meghalaya. We are actually talking about an accelerated exploration programme,” Dr Kakodkar said, stressing that he was happy with the conclusion of the agreement with the US in as much as it did not affect the domestic nuclear programme in any way.

Re-processing unit

The 123 Agreement requires India to build a new spent fuel re-processing facility that would be put under international safeguards. All the imported fuel would be re-processed here after use.

Asked when the facility would come up, Dr Kakodkar said that it could be built when required.

The important point is to get the re-processing rights upfront, which has been secured.

Dr Kakodkar said that the agreement also opened up possibilities of exports of nuclear power-related products from India (India today exports some quantities of heavy water).

He said that India was exporting any incidental surplus, but “tomorrow we can also think of setting up capacities for exports.”

He said that India would “build a strategic fuel reserve from imports from several countries.”