India places 4 more Nuclear Reactors under IAEA safeguards

27th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2018) to be held in India in October 2018

India has placed four more nuclear reactors under IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) safeguards : two Russian designed Pressurised Light Water Reactor and two Pressurised Heavy Reactors being built with Indian technology. Currently, twenty six Indian nuclear facilities are placed under IAEA Safeguards.

Dr. Sekhar Basu, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy speaks at the 62nd General Conference of IAEA in Vienna, Austria

During the previous IAEA General Conference, India had announced its plans to build 21 additional reactors by 2030. “The implementation of this programme is well on track. In addition, our discussions with foreign partners for bringing different technology is on,” said Dr. Sekhar Basu, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, while speaking at the 62nd General Conference of IAEA in Vienna, Austria.

“India reiterates its assigning primacy to IAEA in its central role in promotion of atomic energy for peaceful uses and prosperity of the mankind while maintaining its due support in safeguards,” said Dr. Sekhar Basu. He also said that the 27th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2018) would be held in India in October 2018.

Power Sector

Reactor Unit 1 of the Kaiga plant site achieved its longest run, by reaching 859 days of continuous operation. It has become 3rd longest running plant in the world. Four other reactors also continue to operate for 450 days and above.

“These achievements establish the soundness of the technology and efficiency in operation and maintenance,” said Dr. Sekhar Basu.

The indigenously developed prototype fast breeder reactor of 500 MWe is now undergoing sodium commissioning. It is expected to reach criticality next year.

Unit one and two at Karapar Power Station had experienced pressure tube leaks. The units were permitted to restart after an in depth study of the root cause of the events and after detailed evaluation by AERB. This Monday Unit 2 was restarted after coolant channel replacement.

Medical Uses

Cyclone-30, a medical cyclotron, the largest in India, delivered a 30 MeV beam for the first time this month. This cyclotron is capable of meeting radioisotope needs for eastern India and will also meet the requirements of Paladium 103 and Germanium 68 for the entire country. The facility will also have dedicated beam lines for research in material science and nuclear physics.

India has developed twenty one radio-pharmaceuticals for diagnosis and therapy and two radionuclide generators in the recent past.

“Nuclear waste has always been considered as a resource in India. Clinical grade Yttrium 90 in 90Y Acetate form has been extracted from high level waste and was introduced for patient care,” said Dr. Sekhar Basu. “Development of cost effective drug for cancer care has been a priority for us,” he added.

Over 150 personnel, from Africa and Asia have been trained in the field of cancer care.

“With an understanding that the burden of cancer is increasing especially in developing countries, Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), has played a significant role in enhancing the capacity of trained manpower to deal with the problem of cancer by short term and long term training to IAEA fellows,” said Dr. Sekhar Basu.

India’s first research reactor Apsara, an upgraded swimming pool type rector became operational this month at Trombay. The reactor is designed to produce a large variety of isotopes for nuclear physicists, material scientists and reactor designers. India has offered to share this technology with new-comers in the nuclear field.

International Cooperation

India signed an Industrial way-forward agreement between NPCIL, India and EDF of France in March 2018 for the establishment of six nuclear power reactors using EPR technology. The EPR is a third generation pressurised water reactor design. It has been designed and developed mainly by Framatome and Électricité de France in France, and Siemens in Germany.

In the field of Neutrino Physics, an inter-governmental collaboration agreement was signed with Fermilab during the visit of US Secretary of Energy to India in April this year.

India signed an agreement with the Department of Natural Resources of Canada on Science & Technology and Innovation. There is also a cooperation agreement with VINATOM of Vietnam on training and capacity building.

India assumed chairmanship of ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) Council since 1st January 2018 for a period of two years. The Government of India has approved cost escalation for the in-kind contribution part of the project.

The Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP), established in 2010 at Bahadurgarh, Haryana India, has started gaining popularity. “Since last September we have organized international programmes on a variety of subjects including the areas of nuclear safety, security and safeguards; physical protection of nuclear facilities, emergency response to radioactive disperse devices etc. Interested member countries are welcome to join us either as faculty or choose relevant training programmes and we can have them scheduled in consultation with IAEA,” said Dr. Sekhar Basu.