NPCIL, BHEL to pursue opportunities for PHWR-based nuclear power plants

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) have agreed to jointly explore business opportunities in the area of nuclear power plants powered by pressurized heavy water reactor (PHWR) technology.

In this regard, the two Indian government-owned companies have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU).

As per the terms of the MoU, BHEL and NPCIL will explore together opportunities for the development of nuclear power projects with an aim to cut down on the time to develop projects.

BHEL is a major producer of equipment for power plants used for thermal, hydro, nuclear, and renewable energy. It is also claimed to be the one Indian company that is active in all three phases of the Indian Nuclear Programme, which are the 1st Stage PHWR, Second Stage FBR as well as 3rd Stage AHWR.

The company is capable of engineering, designing, and manufacturing, as well as supplying the primary side, which includes end shields, reactor headers, and other items, and also the secondary side, which includes steam turbines, heat exchangers, generators, and other equipment used in nuclear power plants.

NPCIL, BHEL to jointly pursue opportunities for PHWR-based nuclear power plants. Photo courtesy of Bruno/Germany from Pixabay.

BHEL has provided steam turbine generators for more than half of India’s total nuclear capacity.

Notably, the steam turbine generator supplied by BHEL is used by the 220MW Unit 1 of NPCIL’s Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant in Karnataka.

NPCIL operates 22 nuclear power projects in India which have an installed capacity of 6.8GW. It is the sole Indian organization responsible for designing, constructing, operation, and maintenance of thermal nuclear power stations in India and has more than 580 reactor years of operating experience.

BHEL stated: “Collaboration of the two major Public Sector Enterprises will pave the way for early implementation of non-polluting and long-cycle Nuclear Power Projects, which will also complement the G20 theme of environmental sustainability and contribute towards a cleaner & greener future.”