COUNTRY REPORT | INDIA
Fueling India’s nuclear growth
India has outlined a bold vision for a decarbonized future.
Certainly renewable capacity has grown dramatically and much more is anticipated. But, given the variability conundrum much more nuclear power is required too
By Dr. S. Saha, former associate director, NPCIL, and nuclear company advisor
INDIA’S TOTAL INSTALLED CAPACITY AS of April 2023 was 416 GW of which fossil fuels contribute 57%, Renewable Energy – 30.2% (mainly on account of solar (16.1%) and wind (10.3%)), hydropower - 11.2%. Nuclear power delivers just 1.6% of total power generation. Nonetheless, as India moves towards its commitment of reaching net zero by 2070, the share of nuclear power in India’s energy mix needs to be increased drastically along with renewables while minimising on-going dependence on fossil fuels. Policy emphasis on the adoption of safe, clean and sustainable forms of energy is clearly visible. Renewable energy has certainly witnessed extraordinary
growth in India. Total solar power capacity in the country has increased from 2.63 GW in March 2014 to 63.30 GW in December 2022, i.e., an increase of 24 times. India stands 4th globally in installed renewable capacity, and added 63 GW of renewables in the last five years. Reported energy estimates and targets indicate doubling
of total power generation to 792 GW and quadrupling renewable electricity capacity to 436 GW by 2030. This will mean that 55% of total power would be variable in nature by 2030. The same trend of doubling of total power
generation and quadrupling of renewables is expected to continue in the next decade (by 2040) as per current estimates.
India’s nuclear option Over dependence on variable renewables like wind and solar appears to make the energy system relatively frugal. Nuclear power – as a clean, safe and sustainable source of energy – must play a very emphatic role in the energy mix of India as the share of fossil fuel is expected to decline with time. The overall share of nuclear power has dropped to 1.6% from its previous level of around 3% of national capacity due to the extraordinary rise in the contribution from renewables. Regaining this 3% contribution from nuclear power by 2030 would mean the addition of roughly 24 GW. This is achievable subject to successful completion of ongoing projects that are currently planned or underway and includes three 700 MW PHWRs and a further four 1000 MW VVERs. This is in addition to the implementation of 10 PHWRs of 700 MW each in fleet mode, and serial deployment of Small and Modular Reactors (SMRs) in aging thermal power plants.
Right: Kudankulam is just one VVER-based power plant that contribute to India’s low-carbon energy supply
42 | October 2023 |
www.neimagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49
