French, Russian and US companies offering nuke technology to India: Jairam Ramesh

Nuclear reactor supply companies from France, Russia and US have offered nuclear technology for setting up nuclear power generation units in the country, Union Minister of State for Power and Commerce Jairam Ramesh said here on Friday. "There has been offers to India from French company Areva to supply 1,600 MW reactors," Ramesh said adding that the Russian and American companies are also in the fray to supply nuclear fuel technology. Ramesh told reporters that the government is aiming at enhancing the nuclear power generation capacity to 20,000 MW by 2020 from the exisiting 4,000 MW capacity. "We have already installed 2,000 MW capacity nuclear plant at Koodankulam in Tamil Naidu with Russian technology," the Minister said. Another 6,000 MW reactors are expected to be imported. "10,000 MW, out of 20,000 MW, will be based on natural uranium from the indigenious reactors. And 2,000 MW is expected to come out of fast breeder reactors which uses plutonium, which are also indigeniously designed," he added. The Minister said Andhra Pradesh will have major role in nuclear power generation considering that the state has large uranium deposits. Reffering to uranium mining and processing plant set up by Atomic Energy Commission at Tummalapalle in Kadapa district with an investment of Rs 1,106 crore, Ramesh said that AP Genco is proposing to set up 2,000 MW nuclear power plant in Kadapa in joint venture with NPC. "A team from NPC is expected next week to visit the site for nuclear power plant at Kadapa," Ramesh said. It will be a joint venture project with NPC 51 per cent and AP Genco 49 per cent, he added. 

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