NPCIL extends proposal date for private players for nuclear reactors

Receiving an overwhelming response from industrial houses to set up Bharat Small Reactors (BSRs), the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has extended the request for proposal date till Sep 30.

This comes as NPCIL has already received queries from over two dozen big corporates such as Adani Energy Solution, Reliance Industries, Tata Power, JSW Energy Limited, Jindal Nuclear Power, Jindal Stainless, and Aditya Birla Renewables Limited (Hindalco), among others.

“There has been overwhelming response to the RFP and few industrial houses have already engaged actively with NPCIL for pursuing the BSR model, by signing the NDA and collecting the detailed information about the BSR (technical and about economics viability) and have already started working jointly with NPCIL for further activities related,” said the NPCIL in an order, which is accessed by the Business Today.

The NPCIL further stated that numerous industrial houses and industries have expressed interest in implementing BSR to achieve their decarbonization targets and have requested an extension of the proposal submission date from June 30.  The NPCIL in RFP has said that BSR is for captive use, but the industry can sell the excess power at a tariff decided by them.

Meanwhile, the government is also working to address the concerns related to the liability clause in the Atomic Energy Act, a key issue flagged by the corporations. The monsoon session of the parliament, starting next week, is likely to see the government bringing a bill to amend the act to allow private participation in civil nuclear energy.

There are also plans to allow the setting up of 220 MWe BSR in brownfield thermal power sites offered by industries. Some of the out-of-life thermal power plant sites could be repurposed for the BSR plants.   

Key focus areas for BSR development include integration with industrial hubs to provide stable base load power for sectors like steel, aluminium, and chemicals, repurposing ageing coal-fired thermal power plants to ensure efficient land use and development of decentralised nuclear power solutions for remote and underserved areas.

Nuclear power in India is regulated under the Atomic Energy Act and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act. To facilitate private participation in the nuclear sector, amendments to these legislations is being undertaken. Presently, all nuclear power reactors are under state control due to security and safety issues.