POWER November 2011 - 29

TOP PLANTs
although at a slower rate than in our previous
projections. "
The latest IAEA estimates of future
builds are scenario-based and vary greatly
depending on the set of assumptions used.
The projections range from a " conservative
but plausible " 90 units by 2030 to a
" very aggressive " and highly unlikely
" around 350 " units. The projections are
down about 7% from last year due-according
to the IAEA-to the March 11,
2011 accident in Japan.
Plants Under Construction. For the
purposes of this discussion, let us accept
the IAEA's most reasonable projection of
90 new nuclear units entering service by
2030. Globally, there are 433 reactors in
service today, so that's a growth of about
20% over the next 18 years, or about five
new units entering service every year. That
build rate is very conservative and much
lower than what is occurring today.
Where will those new units be constructed?
Western Europe is expected to
reduce its reliance on nuclear power from
123 GW to 83 GW by 2030, so the growth
won't be in Europe. In North America, the
IAEA projection represents a slight drop
in capacity, from 114 GW to 111 GW. The
epicenter of future nuclear construction
has moved to Russia, China, and South
Asia (India and Pakistan). Together, China
(27), the Russia Federation (11), and India
(6) represent two-thirds of the 65 plants
now under construction. (See " The Big
Picture, " p. 12 for a graphic presentation
of plants under construction.)
Table 1 (p. 26) provides a snapshot of
the level of activity throughout the global
nuclear power industry, particularly with
respect to the number of plants under construction
and currently in operation. Table
Kaiga Generating Station, Uttar Kannada District of Karnataka, India
Owner/operator: Nuclear Power Corp. of India Ltd.
The home of more than one billion peoEach
of the four PHWR units uses
ple, India has had one of the world's
fastest-growing economies over the
past decade. During this same time
frame, the country has made big strides
in increasing its capacity for nuclear
generation of electricity. For example,
the state-owned Nuclear Power Corp. of
India's (NPCIL) fourth 220-MW nuclear
unit at its Kaiga Generating Station
attained criticality on November 27,
2010, and then was connected to the
southern power grid on January 19,
2011 (Figure 2).
The new indigenously developed unit
is a pressurized heavy water reactor
(PHWR). The Kaiga Generating Station
now has a capacity of 880 MW, making
it the third-largest in India's nuclear
fleet after Tarapur (1,400 MW) and Rawatbhata
(1,180 MW). The Kaiga 4 unit
is the country's 20th nuclear power reactor.
With this unit becoming operational,
India now ranks sixth in terms
of production of nuclear energy, behind
the U.S., France, Japan, Russia, and
South Korea.
Facility Overview
Located in Kaiga near the River Kali in
the Uttar Kannada district of Karnataka
State, the Kaiga Generating Station has
been in operation since March 2000.
The state-owned NPCIL facility has four
220-MW units. The two oldest units
constitute the west half of the site, and
the two newer units are adjoining on
the east side.
November 2011 | POWER
natural uranium as fuel and heavy water
both as moderator and coolant. For
Units 1 and 2, NPCIL entered into a
power purchase agreement on December
29, 2000, to allocate power to the
following beneficiary states: Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, and the Union Territory of Puducherry.
Although
the boiling water reactors
at Units 1 and 2 at Tarapur began operations
in 1969 in Maharashtra State,
Rajasthan Power Station Unit 1 (RAPS1),
built with Canadian assistance in
Rajasthan State, became the prototype
for the country's indigenous PHWRs. India
completed the RAPS-2 on its own
after Canada suspended its assistance
following India's 1974 nuclear test.
Standardized PHWRs are located at
Narora (two units), Kaiga (four units),
Kakrapara (two units), and Tarapur (two
units). Each of the units at the Narora,
Kaiga, and Kakrapara facilities has
a 220-MW capacity, while the Tarapur
nuclear plant has two 540-MW units.
Future Directions
On Nov. 27, 2010, Srikumar Banerjee,
chairman of the Indian Atomic Energy
Commission, said " units 5 and 6 would
come up at Kaiga in the next couple of
years and the site would be decided by
a selection committee of NPCIL. " The
capacity of each new unit will be 700
MW, and the project will be developed
on land already owned by NPCIL. There
www.powermag.com
2. Kaiga Generating Station. Courtesy:
Nuclear Power Corp. of India
is no human habitation in the very small
area required for the new units, and the
forest in the area will not be disturbed,
according to Banerjee.
A number of indigenous reactors are
under construction in India, and the
country has others in the pipeline.
In late 2008, as part of the 11th Five
Year Plan (2007-2012), the nuclear
body outlined an " augmentation plan "
that included the eight indigenous PHWRs,
three or four fast breeder reactors,
and one 300-MW advanced heavy
water reactor.
Then, according to the World Nuclear
Association, NPCIL intends to set up
five additional " nuclear energy parks, "
each with a capacity of up to 10,000
MW. Proposed units, likely new-generation
reactors, are expected to provide
up to 45 GW, bringing the country's
nuclear capacity to nearly 63 GW by
2032.
-Angela Neville, JD is POWER's
senior editor.
29
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POWER November 2011

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