India to have additional 15,000 MWe capacity in nuclear power generation, stated Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy

Newly launched Vishwam Cancer Care Connect to integrate cancer care centres in partner countries with the National Cancer Grid (NCG) of India

: Mumbai, September 18, 2019

There are 21 reactors under the stage of construction and planning in the country that will lead to an additional 15,000 MWe capacity addition in nuclear power generation, stated Shri K. N. Vyas, Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) & Chairman Atomic Energy Commission. While addressing  at the 63rd  General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) at Vienna today, Shri Vyas also said, India has made huge progress in utilisation of radiation technologies for societal uses, the knowledge and expertise of which is being shared with friendly partners. The process has already set in through increased interactions and actual collaborations in all areas of nuclear technologies concerning human life, be it power, health, agriculture or human capital development, said Shri Vyas. “We are determined to take this collaboration to a higher level”, he further stated. Shri Vyas is leading the Indian delegation at the Conference which is being held from 16^th to 20^th September.

The Secretary-DAE also launched the National Cancer Grid- Vishwam Cancer Care Connect on the sidelines of 63rd General conference of IAEA at Vienna yesterday (September 17, 2019). It envisages integration of the hospitals and relevant cancer care institutes in partner countries with the National Cancer Grid (NCG) of India which presently connects 183 cancer centres and hospitals in the country. He said, this will bring a paradigm shift in cancer care in the form of sharing guidelines for management of common cancer, giving second opinion, deciding on treatment, sharing online resources, etc.

Speaking at IAEA’s 63rd  General Conference, the Secretary- DAE also said, 19 programmes were organized at the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership in India in 2018-19, out of which eight were conducted jointly with the IAEA, thus reinforcing India’s collaboration with IAEA in nuclear capacity building.

Highlighting the achievements of the country, he said, Kaiga Generating Station (KGS-1) has set a new world record of continuous operation for 962 days on 31 December 2018 while working at 99.3% plant load factor. Tarapur Atomic Power Station Units (TAPS 1 &2), the oldest operating power reactors in the world, which were connected to grid in April and May 1969, have completed 50 years of safe operation. Furthermore, Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), a unit under DAE, has completed the supply of fuel bundles to KAPS-3, the first 700 MWe PHWR, towards initial core requirement. Also, Apsara-U, an upgraded swimming pool type reactor, operational since September 2018, has been operated at 90% of rated power and demonstrated that it can produce carrier free Cu-64 radioisotope, which has potential for usage in PET scans. This apart, U-233 fuelled Kalpakkam Mini Reactor (KAMINI) is being used for neutron radiography of a large number of pyro-devices from the Indian Space Research Organization, activation analysis, neutron detector testing, etc.