Nuclear Power Plants in Uttar Pradesh

A nuclear power plant is a thermal power plant that harnesses the energy from nuclear reactors to produce electricity.

Nuclear energy provides about 10 percent of the world’s electricity, from about 440 power reactors distributed worldwide. Nuclear energy is also known as the second-largest source of low carbon power. According to 2019 data, nuclear energy produces approximately 28℅ of the total carbon required.

About 50 countries use nuclear energy in about 220 research reactors in the world.

Nuclear power plants are also known to be safe, valuable, and secure facilities globally. However, they can adversely affect people and the environment in case of an accident.

Nuclear power plants in different countries 

In 1930, German physicists and chemists, Otto Hahn und Fritz Strassman, first attempted to create an element named transuranic elements by bombarding uranium with neutrons.

Nowadays, nuclear energy is a critical source of energy. It saves more than 50,000 barrels of oil per day. Countries that do not have oil reserves now rely on nuclear power plants for producing energy.

In recent times, Sri Lanka has increased the use of nuclear energy for the production of large amounts of electricity. The Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, Sri Lanka, has requested support from the International Atomic Energy Agency to launch a power project in the country.

In the United States, nuclear energy generation in nuclear power plants started in 1958. Russia currently operates 38 nuclear power reactors and also has plans for further expansion.

According to 2020 data, 16% of energy in the United Kingdom is produced by nuclear power plants. In Pakistan, six nuclear power plants are under construction.

Nuclear power plants in India

In India, 22 nuclear reactors are present with a capacity of approximately 6780 MW,

and 12 reactors are under construction that aim to produce 6000MW of energy. India has 7 nuclear power plants.

Kudankulam nuclear power plant, which is located in Chennai in the Tirunelveli district of Tamil Nadu, is the largest nuclear power plant in India.

India’s first nuclear power plant was established in 1969, and the Apsara nuclear reactor located within the Indian weapons facility at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai is the oldest nuclear power plant in India.

In India, nuclear power plants are controlled by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India. This corporation is personally managed by the state governments and was founded in 1987.

In India, nuclear power plants are the fourth-largest source of energy after renewable sources of energy, thermal energy and hydroelectricity.

Nuclear power plants in Uttar Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh has only one nuclear power plant, the Narora nuclear power plant located in Bulandshahar district in Western Uttar Pradesh. It is operated by NPCIL and has a capacity of 440MW. Uttar Pradesh is one of the seven nuclear energy producers in India.

Narora Nuclear Power Plant 

The Narora Nuclear Power Plant contains two reactors, and the annual output of this nuclear reactor was 3284.81 GW in 2020-2021. The cooling source used for this power plant is in the Narora Barrage of Ganga.

Narora nuclear power plant is considered one of the safest nuclear power plants in the country. It was awarded the Golden Peacock award for environment management in 2000.

The Narora nuclear power plant is now serving as a baseload and as an operating power plant. The reactor of the Narora nuclear power plant is pressurised with a heavy water reactor, and the power grid, which is electrical, is directly connected to the regional grid. It has two reactors having a capacity of 202 MWe.

Incidents of Narora Nuclear Power Plant

Several incidents have been recorded in the Narora Nuclear Power Plant of Bulandshahr district in Uttar Pradesh.

One of the incidents took place on May 31 in 1993. It involved a huge fire breakout in the plant due to the malfunctioning of two steam turbine blades. The combination of fire and the malfunctioning blades of the nuclear power plant system resulted in a nuclear meltdown.

Reason for incidents

The reactors used in the Narora Nuclear Power Plant were not under the guidance of IAEA until 2014. But after signing some agreements with the IAEA , the Narora Nuclear Power Plant was added to IAEA monitoring in 2014.

Disadvantages of Nuclear Power Plants

Nuclear power plants have many advantages, but they also have some disadvantages which are as follows:

• They are water-intensive; a nuclear reactor needs a lot of water for the production of energy and cooling.
• The risk of nuclear accidents increases in nuclear power plants.
• It also produces radioactive waste.
• The Uttar Pradesh government is now working on projects to decrease the thermal or coal power plants, which are taking a lot of input and giving very less results in comparison to nuclear power plants.

Conclusion

Nuclear power plants are one of the lowest carbon energy sources; thus, they create less pollution than other thermal power plants. Nuclear power plants are cost-effective and reliable in the long term. They have a high energy density and can produce a large amount of energy sufficient for a large population. Nuclear power plants produce traces of greenhouse gases during operation. The risk of nuclear accidents increases in nuclear power plants. It also produces radioactive waste.