Centre to set up nuclear plant in Meghalaya

NEW DELHI: The Centre is exploring options to set up a small nuclear power plant in Meghalaya. The proposed plant would use the locally available uranium as fuel.

The state has one of the richest sources of nuclear fuel in the country but mining is yet to begin there. The Centre���s plan is being seen as a compromise formula to open up uranium mining in the state. The issue had earlier led to controversy due to the export of raw material and other health-related issues.

���Meghalaya has almost 16% of country���s total uranium deposits and mining there is important to sustain our nuclear power programme. The Centre has asked the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) to set up a working group to study the techno-economic feasibility of establishing a nuclear power plant in Meghalaya,��� minister of state for power Jairam Ramesh told ET.

It is understood that the proposal for the power plant is being considered at the behest of Meghalaya chief minister who has strongly favoured the move to contain opposition to uranium mining in the state.

Moreover, it is expected that uranium mining would bring in investment to the tune of Rs 1,000 crore in the state, and provide direct employment to at least 500 people. The royalty earnings alone for the state would be around Rs 15 crore annually.

Ironically, the proposal to set up another nuclear power plant in Meghalaya is coming at a time when all the existing nuclear power plants in the country continue to run on low plant load factor of 50% or below due to shortage of uranium. The current installed capacity of nuclear power plants is 4,120 mw, roughly 3% of the total power generation in the country.

The government plans to take this up to 20,000 mw by 2020. To realise this target, the Indo-US nuclear deal would come handy as the country has raw material only to support 10,000 mw of capacity. However, the scope of new uranium mining sites in the country would also help improve the situation.

Though the Centre had identified Meghalaya for uranium mining some time ago, work could not start there due to concerns on radiation-related heath hazards and opposition to mine the toxic minerals for using outside the state.