How Is Nuclear Energy Used in the Power Sector of India?

The power sector is involved in generating electricity along with its transmission and distribution at an affordable consumer rate. India is the third-largest producer of electricity globally, with 37% of electricity generated from renewable power plants and hydroelectric plants. Nuclear power in India is responsible for the large-scale generation of electricity. India’s nuclear energy and development of the nuclear power plant started in 1964. Hence, setting up nuclear power plants across India has increased the overall production and generation of electricity. Out of all the countries, India stands 13th in harnessing electricity from nuclear sources. 

History of Nuclear Energy in India 

• Nuclear power is the fifth-largest source that helps with the generation of electricity in India. As of November 2022, seven nuclear power plants are established across the country with 22 operational reactors. 
• Establishing the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in 1945 serves as the root of nuclear power in India goes back. It was an initiative by Dr Homi Bhabha. The 1948 Atomic Energy Commission commissioned the Indian Nuclear Program. 
• Two boiling water reactors at Tarapur, Maharashtra, were first established in 1964 after India signed an agreement with General Electric for its construction. Each of the reactors was commissioned and set up to generate around 150MW of electricity. They were placed under the Department of Atomic Energy in 1967. 
• India’s nuclear energy and power generation in 1987 took a major shift with the establishment of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd for the commercialisation of nuclear power. It has led to an ambitious plan of 63 GW of electricity generation by 2032. 
• The agreement between India and Canada for setting up the first nuclear plant in Rajasthan was signed in 1963 with the RAPP-1 power plant. The RAPP-2 nuclear reactor was set up in 1966.  

Production of Electricity through India’s Nuclear Energy 

Six states in India consist of operational nuclear power plants. The states which have established operational nuclear power plants include Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh. Nuclear power in India helps in a significant increase in electricity generation through renewable sources. Each of the reactors can generate electricity between 100 to 1000 MW each. India’s single largest nuclear power station is the Kudankulam nuclear power plant located in Tamil Nadu. India is the 15th largest producer of nuclear power in the world. According to reports, the nuclear generation during 2019-2020 was up by 22.9%, with a target of 500GW of nuclear energy generation by 2060. India aims to develop 62 more nuclear reactors based on thorium fuel by 2025 for electricity generation. Currently, India has 22 nuclear power plants with 6,780 MW of capacity. 

Nuclear energy in India and electricity generation 

India’s Nuclear Energy and nuclear plants are getting investments to generate electricity due to the shortage of fossil fuels. NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd). has successfully supplied 35 TWh of electricity in India from 2013–2014 from the installed nuclear reactors. The shortage of uranium and the expenses related to the import of uranium for the generation of nuclear energy has led to the exploration and use of thorium-based nuclear plants.  

The NPCIL is the main body responsible for designing, constructing, commissioning and operating large scale thermal nuclear power plants. In 2009, India expected to increase the contribution of nuclear power to electricity generation from 2.8% to 9% in 25 years. The nuclear plant installation is expected to increase the nuclear power in India by 20GW by 2020. 

Use of Thorium-based Nuclear Reactor

Currently, India’s nuclear energy is based on imported enriched uranium. The limited uranium reserves and abundant thorium reserves have driven a lot of work towards developing thorium-based nuclear power in India. Thorium can be used in heavy water nuclear reactors to develop abundant nuclear energy and generate electricity. The long term goal for nuclear power in India is the development of an advanced and technologically brilliant heavy-water thorium cycle.

Operational Nuclear Plants in India

• Kaiga is a nuclear power plant located in Karnataka with a total generation capacity of 880MW.
• Kudankulam and Kalpakkam are nuclear power plants in Tamil Nadu, each with a capacity of 2,000 MW and 440 MW, respectively.
• Kakrapar in Gujarat has a capacity of 1140MW. 
• Narora, a power plant located in Uttar Pradesh, has a generation capacity of 440 MW. 
• There are two nuclear power plants in Tarapur, Maharashtra, with a total capacity of 1,400 MW.
• There are two power plants in Rajasthan with a total capacity of 1,080 MW. 

Conclusion 

Nuclear power in India and its history can be traced back to 1945 with the initiatives by Dr Homi Bhabha and the setup of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Nuclear energy in India is a significant and sustainable energy form that contributes to electricity generation and the power sector. It is the fifth large source from which electricity is generated in India. There are seven operating nuclear power plants, and nearly 3.11% of total power in India is generated from nuclear energy.