What are the developments foreseen in the use of nuclear power in India in the coming years?
The development activities in the area of power production are mainly on three fronts. First is the thrust towards the establishment of an expanded PHWR power production capacity of the order of 10,000 MWe over the next decade. This involves development of а 700 MWe PHWR design as well as standardization of PHWR reactor components to achieve economy of scale and mass production. The R & D towards this task are carried out in the Nuclear Power Corporation (NPCIL) and BARC. On the second front is the challenging task of establishing fast breeder technology in this country so as to be able to efficiently convert U-238 and thorium into fissile material and be technically capable of setting up nuclear electric capacities of а few hundred thousand MWe in tune with the country’s requirements in the 21st century. The R & D towards this goal is carried out at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam On the third front is the R & D towards advanced technologies such as las
