India will produce over ten thousand mega watt of nuclear power within the next five years and is set to achieve 63,000 MW nuclear power capacity by 2032. The Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office V. Narayanasamy has informed the Lok Sabha that the current installed capacity of 4780 MW will reach 10,080 MW by 2017. The Minister in a written reply to the House said this would be possible on the completion of seven under construction nuclear reactors with an aggregate capacity of 5300 MW. He said the XII Five Year Plan envisages start of work on nuclear power reactors to add an additional capacity of 17400 MW to achieve 27480 MW nuclear power production within the next 12 years. He said more nuclear power reactors based both on indigenous technologies and with foreign technical cooperation are also in the offing.
Mr. Narayanasamy said that the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project Unit-one will begin commercial operation by October this year while Unit-two will commence in June next year. The 40000 MW nuclear plant in Kudankulam and the 6000 MW Haripur nuclear plant in West Bengal is being built with Russian assistance. He also said the term of the MoU and confidentiality agreement signed in 2009 between Westinghouse Electric Company, USA and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India has been extended till May next year.
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Mr. Narayanasamy also clarified that India is not having a relook at its nuclear power policy because of International Developments. He said, even though there were announcements in Germany, Japan, Switzerland and Taiwan regarding gradual phase out of nuclear power after the Fukushima incident, these countries have not shut down all their nuclear reactors. Japan has recently started two nuclear power reactors, Ohi-3&4. Germany continues to operate nine of their seventeen nuclear power reactors while it has shutdown remaining eight nuclear power reactors which have completed their economic life. Switzerland continues to operate all the five nuclear power reactors and Taiwan, six nuclear power reactors.