ATOMIC ENERGY
India is recognized as
one of few countries in the world, which have made considerable advances in the
field of atomic energy. Despite the closely guarded nature of this technology
at the international level, the country is self-reliant in the same and has
established competence in carrying out activities over the entire nuclear fuel
cycle. The executive agency for all activities pertaining to atomic energy in
the country is the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), which was set-up in 1954.
The Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) lays down policies pertaining to the
functioning of DAE, which was set-up in 1948. The portfolio of DAE has all
along been under the charge of the Prime Minister.
The activities of DAE
are primarily in the area of nuclear power generation, research and
devel-opment in atomic energy and in the industries and minerals sector. ?These
activities are carried out by its constituent units, Public Sector Units (PSUs)
and by institutions which are given financial assistance by DAE. India has also
been offering training facilities, fellowships, scientific visits, etc., and
makes avail-able the service of its scientists and engineers for expert
assignments in several countries both through the International Atomic Energy
Agency (IAEA) and through bilateral agreements.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE NUCLEAR POWER PROGRAMME
When the country?s
atomic energy programme was launched in the 1940s, a three-stage nuclear energy
programme was envisaged to use the available Uranium and vast Thorium
Resources. The first stage was to comprise of Natural Uranium Fuelled
Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), which would produce power, and
Plutonium as a by-product. The second stage is expected to have Plutonium
Fuelled Fast Breeder Reactors (FBRs), which in addition to producing power and
Plutonium, will also yield Uranium-233 from Thorium. The third stage reactors
would be based on the Thorium Cycle to produce more Uranium-233 for fuelling
additional breeder reactors.
The present installed
capacity of nuclear power reactors in India is 1,465 MWe. The total
elec-tricity generated by nuclear power stations during 1988?89 and 1989?90 was
5,817 and 4,625 million kW hours respectively, and the target for 1990?91 has
been fixed at 6850 million units. Excepting for the first two units at Tarapur,
which are of the Boiling Water Reactor (BWR) type and were set-up as a turnkey
by a United States of America?s company, other power reactors in the country
are of the PHWR Type which constitute the first stage of the programme. DAE
aims at establishing about 10,000 mW of nuclear power generation capacity from
PHWRs during the coming ten to fifteen years. In addition, two reactors o? the
Pressurised Water Reactor (PWR) type of 1000 mW each are being set-up at
Kudankulam, TamilNadu, with the assistance of the USSR. Further, work on a
Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) of 500 mW capacities is also expected to
be taken up in the near future.
Important inputs for
the PHWRs are heavy water and nuclear fuel, which are made available by
organisations within DAE. Amongst these, there are units which carry out
exploration and survey of Uranium resources and subsequently mining and
processing them for production of Uranium Concen-trates. Other units are
responsible for production of nuclear fuel and heavy water. Facilities are also
available for the back-end of the nuclear fuel cycle to reprocess spent fuel
from nuclear power reactors and for management of radioactive wastes.
A significant feature
of the Indian Atomic Energy Programme is that it has all long been backed-up by
a comprehensive R and D programme encompassing a wide-range of
multi-disciplinary activities relating to atomic energy. This includes
fundamental research in basic sciences to disciplines like Nu-clear
Engineering, Metallurgy, Medicine, Agriculture, Isotopes, etc. Research is also
being carried out in FBR technology and frontline areas like fusion, lasers and
accelerators.
All the organisations
of DAE which are engaged in these activities, can be considered to be one of
the following categories, namely, R and D units, PSUs, Industries and Mineral
(I and M) sector units, Aided Institutions or Service Sector Units.
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