Cheaper nuclear power forms only a small part of energy needs

Electricity tariffs from nuclear power plants are cheaper than most coal-based plants in India.

But, the low generation capacity in India means that in the short term, the nuclear power sector is unlikely to be the answer for the country’s demand for cheap electricity.

With coal supplies under pressure, unavailability of domestic gas for the power sector and high costs of imported gas making generation unviable, nuclear is being seen as a better option in the long term.

According to data given by the Department of Atomic Energy in the Lok Sabha, the maximum tariff from nuclear plants is ₹3.41 per unit while the minimum tariff is ₹0.95 per unit.

This is almost comparable to coal-based plants at the mine pit head, which have a maximum and minimum tariff of ₹3.19 per unit and ₹0.87 per unit, respectively.

Non-pit head based plants have even higher tariff with the maximum being ₹5.29 per unit and minimum being ₹3.32 per unit.

Even hydro power plants produce costlier electricity. The maximum and minimum tariff from hydro plants are ₹5.77 per unit and ₹ 0.86 per unit, respectively.

But with generation only at 34,277 gigawatt hour (GWH) in 2013-14, as compared total generation of 967150 GWH, nuclear power provides only a small portion of India’s electricity requirement.

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