Govt: Uranium shortage has hit N-power plants
4 May 2008, 0221 hrs IST,TNN
NEW DELHI: The government has finally admitted that India’s nuclear power plants are operating below capacity, and with declining profits.
Answering a question in Parliament last week, the government said, "Currently, there is a mismatch in the demand and supply of indigenous uranium. As a result, this capacity is being operated at lower power level, matching fuel supply."
This, the government said, had led to declining profits for Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL). NPCIL profits have declined from Rs 1,717 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 964 crore in 2007-08. The capacity utilization of the power plants too have reduced significantly from their previous 63% and in many cases are at 40% or less.
The uranium shortage is also a real problem and with the nuclear deal increasingly facing a bleak future, India’s uranium options are severely restricted.
Government sources said that once uranium shortage hits crisis point, India might be forced to do a similar deal with the rest of the world but at terms much less favourable for the country. Out of the existing 17 reactors, except for the oldest two boiled water reactors (BWR) at Tarapur, the rest are pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs), fuelled by indigenously sourced uranium.
Uranium Corporation of India Ltd (UCIL) supplies the fuel to NPCIL, mainly sourced from the uranium ores in East Singbhum district of Jharkhand. Though UCIL could find some small reserves in Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh, the mines at Singbhum are the main source.
In an earlier interview, the head of NPCIL, S K Jain, was quoted as saying, "There is a growing mismatch between our demand and supply of uranium. Unless we are lucky to explore new reserves, shortage of fuel may jeopardise our nuclear energy growth plans. The government should take appropriate measures to ensure imports of the fuel," he said.
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