Due to land acquisition problems, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) is considering setting up nuclear power projects in old thermal power plants or land parcels already acquired for such plants.

Sources in the DAE said land acquisition for nuclear projects has become extremely difficult due to opposition from local population, environmental and other groups. On the other hand, a number of power plants have reached their end-of-life, or land parcels have been acquired for thermal plants but are unviable due to commercial issues or environmental concerns. These are being eyed for nuclear projects.

Sources pointed out that old power plants already have land, water, power transmission and other infrastructure in place. Such sites, therefore, only need to be studied from a nuclear safety angle.

If the thermal plants are located on geologically stable areas, and if they have enough buffer zones, then they could be considered for nuclear plant sites. An advance study is underway to for identifying such sites.

In 2013, former Secretary to the DAE, RK Sinha, had first mooted such an idea. He had said human habitation should not be within 1 km of such a plant.

The actual task of setting up the project would be taken by Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL), which is an unlisted public sector enterprise under the administrative control of the DAE.

DAE sources added that since NPCIL already has a tie-up with the country’s largest power producer, NTPC Ltd, getting old plants is not an issue. However, an agreement will have to be worked out for taking care of debts, liabilities and other legal issues of the plants.

In January 2011, an NPCIL-NTPC joint venture was established to harness nuclear power in the country. A number of NTPC engineers were also deployed in NPCIL offices and plants for learning the complexities of nuclear power generation.

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