India to get four new nuclear reactors by end of 2009

Having signed the civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the US, Indian government now hopes to develop the nuclear energy segment in a big way. Anil Kakodkar, chief of the Atomic Energy Commission which is India’s top national body dealing with civilian use of nuclear power, said on Tuesday that four nuclear power plants with an aggregate capacity of 1,660 megawatt capacity may be commissioned within the current year.

While two of these units being developed are in Rajasthan, one is in Kaiga and another in Kudankulam, Tamil Naidu. He said that nuclear energy currently constituted only 3% of the total electricity generated in the nation.

Indian government is eyeing at the ambitious target of generating 20% of its total power requirements from nuclear fuel by the year 2020. The target that was earlier set at 10% was doubled after completion of the Indo-US nuclear deal.