Minister of State Jitendra Singh has told the Indian Parliament that the process has begun to discuss and propose amendments to the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, to encourage private sector participation in nuclear projects.
India has plans for a rapid expansion of its nuclear energy capacity – from 7 GW to 100 GW by 2047, with Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget speech earlier this year promising amendments to the two key bits of Indian legislation.
The Atomic Energy Act has precluded private-sector investment in India’s civil nuclear industry and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act has been a stumbling block for overseas nuclear power plant vendors as it gave plant operators unlimited legal recourse to the reactor supplier in the event of a nuclear accident.
Jitendra Singh, minister for science and technology, earth sciences and nuclear energy, has now confirmed to the Indian parliament that the Department of Atomic Energy has set up committees including members from the department itself, the Indian Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, the NITI Aayog public policy think-tank and the Ministry of Law & Justice to discuss and propose the amendments to the two acts.
“The Committee also have to look at the aspect of the waste management, fuel sourcing & handling, decommissioning, implementation of security and safeguards. The activities related to the amendment in the Acts involves various stages of inter-ministerial consultations as well as scientific solution,” he said in a 2 April written answer to the Lok Sabha. He said it was “not feasible to give a timeline” for these activities.
Last week India’s largest power utility NTPC Ltd – which is under the administrative control of the Ministry of Power – invited Expressions of Interest “from interested and capable entities for cooperation in indigenising Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) technology and establishing large-capacity (1000 MW & above) PWR-based Nuclear Power Plants in India on concept to commissioning basis, subject to approval from Government of India”.
The target capacity it is looking at is 15 GW. The broad framework for cooperation includes “a commitment to the gradual transfer of key technologies of proposed PWR based nuclear reactors to India, fostering longterm capability building” and “minimum 60% Indigenisation of components for the first reactor unit and progressively increase to more than 95% for the last reactor unit, ensuring a steady transition to self-sufficiency in nuclear technology. This can either be done through an Indian Subsidiary/JV (joint venture) company of the applicant or through tie up with Indian companies”.
They are also suggesting a commitment for a lifetime supply of nuclear fuel and the establishment of a fuel fabrication facility under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards. The expression of interest also suggests there would be an undertaking for “the operation and maintenance of the nuclear power plant for an initial period of five years post-commissioning, ensuring smooth and efficient performance till NTPC personnel are able to confidently take over”.
Holtec SMRs in India?
Meanwhile the USA’s Holtec International says the US Department of Energy has authorised it to transfer SMR-300 small modular reactor technology for deployment in India.
The company says the authorisation names two Indian companies – Larsen & Tubro and Tata Consulting Engineers – and Holtec’s own India-based subsidiary, Holtec Asia, as eligible entities for Holtec to share necessary technical information.
Holtec says that “action to add additional GOI-owned (Government of India-owned) entities such as NPCIL, DAE, AERB and NTPC, to the eligible list has been delayed until the matter of assurances needed by the US from India is resolved to both countries’ satisfaction”.
Kris Singh, Holtec’s CEO, said: “Our SMR-300 checks every box relevant to India’s needs and circumstances, such as a standardised design that is seismically competent to be deployed anywhere in India, one that requires only 25 acres of land to house two reactors, one that can be operated using air (in lieu of water) as the ‘waste heat sink’ in a water-challenged region, and one that can be substantially shop manufactured requiring minimal field erection effort.”
Holtec says it plans to adapt the SMR-300 for 50Hz electricity if successful in the UK’s small modular reactor selection process, “which will pave the way for use in India and other 50 Hz markets” – 60Hz is used in the USA.
India and the USA signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement (also known as a 123 Agreement) in 2008, after India – which is not a signatory of the international Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty – reached a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency. Kovvada, in Andhra Pradesh, was earmarked for the construction of six AP1000 pressurised water reactors as long ago as 2016, but contractual arrangements have yet to be finalised.
A techno-commercial offer for Kovvada submitted by Westinghouse in 2016 became invalid following the company’s bankruptcy and subsequent takeover by Brookfield Business Partners, Singh told the parliament’s upper house on 3 April. The government is waiting for Westinghouse to submit a revised offer, but the company has not yet done so because of “issues related to provisions of the CLND Act”, Singh said in the written answer to the Rajya Sabha.
In January the then National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the USA was finalising the necessary steps to remove long-standing regulations that have prevented civil nuclear cooperation between India’s leading nuclear entities and US companies.
Source: World Nuclear News
