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Pratim Ranjan Bose

Kolkata, Oct. 5 The Adani group is planning entry into nuclear power.

While it is not clear whether the nuclear foray will be undertaken directly by Adani Power or another subsidiary, sources said that the group is recruiting a team of nuclear power experts to plan project proposals.

“Adani group is interested to grab the emerging opportunities in nuclear power generation and is in the process of setting up a team for nuclear initiatives,” a source told Business Line.

According to the sources, the group is in advanced stage of negotiation to rope in a professional having rich experience in nuclear energy generation abroad to lead the initiative. The new recruit is expected to join the group in two months.

Adani Power is currently setting up a thermal power station at Mundra in Gujarat. While the Mundra project will be commissioned in phases from January 2009 to 2010, the company has lined up a number of projects in Gujarat and Maharashtra to take the thermal capacity to 9,990 MW as early as 2012.

Adani has already bid for picking up 49 per cent strategic interest in the proposed Jangi-Thopan and Thopan-Powari twin hydro-electric projects with a combined capacity of 960 mw in Himachal Pradesh. The projects are implemented by Brakel Kinnaur Power, a SPV created by Brakel Corporation NV of the Netherlands.

Though the Atomic Energy Act does not allow entry of private sector in the country’s nuclear power generation, India’s corporate sector is expecting the Government to carry out suitable amendments soon after operationalising the Indo-US civil-nuclear deal.

Accordingly, a number of major players in India’s energy sector, including NTPC (2,000 MW), Anil Ambani-led Reliance (1,000-1,500 MW), have already come out with proposals for setting up nuclear power projects.

According to available estimates, India has the potential to generate 60,000 MW of nuclear power over the next 25 years involving an investment of over $100 billion.

Currently, the Government-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd spearheads India’s nuclear power initiative. The company has cleared 4,210 MW of capacity, mostly based on indigenous technology, and is currently putting up units at Kaiga (Karnataka), Koodankulam (Tamil Nadu) and Rawatbhata (Rajasthan). Plans for setting up additional units of 700-MW each at Kakrapar (Gujarat) and Rawatbhata (Rajasthan) are in advanced stage of finalisation.

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