Global players keen on partnering NTPC for mega nuclear project

NTPC, India's biggest power producer reliant on coal-fired generation, made further progress on its clean energy bid by securing preliminary offers from companies in the US, South Korea, France and Russia for a mega nuclear power project.

- S DINAKAR

This comes as it began making enquiries with the World Bank, which had decided last month to re-enter financing of nuclear-fired power projects, sources told Business Standard.

Also, NTPC has secured most approvals, led by environment and forest nods, to proceed with construction of the country's newest nuclear-fired plant in Rajasthan. NTPC did not respond to queries till the time of going to press.

NTPC received interest from global nuclear technology majors from the United States, South Korea, France and Russia last month in response to an expression of interest (EoI) it floated late March, the sources said, without naming a company. Nuclear power in these four countries is led by Brookfield-controlled Westinghouse, state KEPCO, state EDF and Rosatom State Nuclear Energy respectively, according to industry data. This is to help install 15 gigawatts (Gw) of new nuclear capacity, around twice the current capacity, along with technology transfer for a slew of new power plants across India, according to the EoI.

NTPC's plans are in line with New Delhi's to increase nuclear-fired generation capacity to 100 Gw by 2047 from around 8.8 Gw now. Separately, Rosatom is supplying technology for the 6 Gw Kudankulam plant in Tamil Nadu, the country's biggest nuclear facility, EDF is working on supplying units for the much-delayed NPCIL's Jaitapur project (Maharashtra) and Westinghouse for the Kovvada project in Andhra Pradesh.