Hyderabad: Nuclear Fuel Complex sets output record, says nuclear energy safe
Hyderabad: The Nuclear Fuel Complex produced 1,503 metric tonne of pressurised heavy water for use in nuclear reactors in 2015-16, becoming the largest producer worldwide for the second time. NFC chairman and chief executive Dr N. Saibaba told the media that the NFC could produce 2,000 MT in the near future.
Dr Saibaba said nuclaer energy was the only solution to meet India’s energy needs, which stood at 150GW and was growing at 10 per cent per annum.
Allaying fears over nuclear power, he said, “What happened in Fukushima was mainly because of the tsunami which damaged the diesel generators required for cooling nuclear reactors, which were shut down.”
Asked about concerns of radiation leaks from the NFC he, he said the areas where the nuclear fuel was present were protected by two layers. Dr Saibaba said India’s nuclear power capacity was set to increase to 15,000 MW by 2022-23 from 5,800 MW now. By 2033 it would go up to 43 gigawatts, or 43,000 MW. In three years, the NFC in Kota, Rajasthan, would become operational and add 800 MT of nuclear fuel per annum.
