Mumbai, Nov 24: French nuclear electrical major
AREVA is all set to bring in four to six European Pressurised
Water Reactors (EPR) to India by 2020.
Although it is too soon to say when they would be able to
begin their work, AREVA's Chairman and Managing Director
Aurthur deMontalembert said they were planning for four to
six units of 1600 MW each.
DeMontalembert, who has come to head the newly set up
office of AREVA in Mumbai for establishing EPR in India said,
"the company was interested in keeping the tariff as low as
possible although nuclear power is capital intensive."
AREVA will also be supplying fuel to India and since the
fuel (uranium) cost is stable and predictable, the French
company is looking forward to better economical solutions in
India.
AREVA invests in entire nuclear fuel cycle, including
mining, enrichment, fuel fabrication and safety (to reduce
operator exposure).
With the crucial decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group
in September, both India and France could work together to
supply much needed energy to the Indian people, he said.
Since it was important to reduce carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere, AREVA had the solution with nuclear power
generation and not with transportation solution, he said.
Huge investment decisions have to be taken in the next
few years and "we invest massively in nuclear power, its
transmission and distribution market upto 40 billion USD," he
said."
Asked whether the site Jaitapur in Ratnagiri district
which was reserved for them has been cleared for their plants,
the company's front-end market manager Patrick Teyssier said,
"We will not be able to talk about it now."
AREVA is building EPR 1600 Mw reactors in Finland (one),
France (one) and China (two), Teyssier said.
The EPR is an active type of reactor with various safety
features.
The first EPR that is under construction in Finland will
become operational by 2010-11, he said.
AREVA is also building an enrichment plant in USA,
deMontalembert said at the annual conference of Indian Nuclear
Society.
AREVA believes in closed fuel cycle, has the experience
of already recycling 24,000 tonnes of spent fuel which makes
the nuclear energy programme more economical and also
optimising energy security, he added.
Bureau Report