Page 34 - The Insurance Times September 2022

Operational Nuclear Power Plants-2021 reach the first stage of the nuclear
energy program in 2013 with over 22
Nuclear Power is the fifth-largest source of generating electricity in India after
nuclear reactors in 7 nuclear power
coal, gas, wind power, and hydroelectricity. At present, India has 22 operational
plants. The country produces 6780 MW
nuclear reactors with an installed capacity of about 6,780 MW. The nuclear
of nuclear energy. The country has
energy programme in India was launched around the time of independence under
already generated 755 billion units of
the leadership of Homi J. Bhabha. Asia's first nuclear reactor is the Apsara
electricity and has saved 650 million
Research Reactor situated in Mumbai. The domestic uranium reserve in India is
tons of CO2 emissions.
small and the country is dependent on uranium imports from other countries to
provide fuel to its nuclear power industry. Since the 1990s, Russia has been a
The committee earlier asked the
major supplier of nuclear fuel to India. The Government of India is committed to
government to power indigenous heavy
increasing its nuclear power capacity as part of its infrastructure development
water reactors, noting that the Indo-
programme. For this, the Centre has set several ambitious targets in the coming
US pact had so far not resulted in new
years. India is outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty due to its weapons
commercial projects, barring
programme and was largely excluded from trade in nuclear plants and materials
Kudankulum project in Tamil Nadu. It
for a period of 34 years, which impacted its development of civil nuclear energy
would be better for the DAE to adopt
until 2009.
a standardised 700 MW heavy-water
reactor and use that design for its
Power Plant Location Operator Type Total Capacity
expansion plan in an aggressive
(MW)
manner. Apart from the six PHWRs, the
Kaiga Karnataka NPCIL IPHWR-220 880
government has sanctioned 10 more to
Kakrapar Gujarat NPCIL IPHWR-220 1,140 be set up in fleet mode. Pre-project
IPHWR-700 activities are in progress in respect of
Kudankulam Tamil Nadu NPCIL VVER-1000 2,000 these 10 PHWRs.
Madras Tamil Nadu NPCIL IPHWR-220 440
(Kalpakkam) India nuclear insurance
Narora Uttar Pradesh NPCIL IPHWR-220 440 pool
Rajasthan Rajasthan NPCIL CANDU 1,180 The idea of forming a pool was mooted
IPHWR-220 in early 2013 and got stuck due to
Tarapur Maharashtra NPCIL BWR 1,400 differences among stakeholders on
IPHWR-520 certain clauses. In 2010, Parliament
passed the Civil Liability of Nuclear
Total 7,480
Damage (CLND) Act, which creates a
liability cap for nuclear plant operators
The present nuclear power capacity is 6780 MW comprising of 22 reactors. There
for economic damage in the event of
are 9 reactors with a capacity of 6700 MW (including 500 MW PFBR being
an accident. India Nuclear Insurance
implemented by BHAVINI) under construction. The Government in 2017 has also
Pool of 1,500 crore rupees was
accorded administrative approval and financial sanction of 12 nuclear power
launched as per the mandatory
plants totalling to a capacity of 9000 MW. On their progressive completion, the
provision under the CLND Act, 2010.
installed nuclear capacity is expected to reach 8180 MW by 2020 and 22480
The pool provides capacity for
MW by 2031.
insurance coverage to operators and
suppliers for any nuclear liability
Indigenous nuclear power programme
towards third party. India Nuclear
India's nuclear program has an ambitious three-stage power production program;
Insurance Pool also offer policies on the
this program was meant to be a closed fuel cycle program in which every stage
nuclear operators liability insurance
feed into each other. To put this in perspective in the first stage of the nuclear
policy and a nuclear suppliers' special
fuel cycle the spent nuclear fuel still contains 96% of reusable material, this
contingency (against right to recourse)
material is used again in the second stage and the spent fuel of the second stage
insurance policy. General Insurance
is reused for the third stage. This creates a closed chain where the fuel is being
Corporation of India (GIC Re) and 11
reused and recycled to maximize efficiency. The country was able to successfully
other non-life insurers have formed the
34 The Insurance Times, September 2022