Thorium nuclear plant to solve electricity crisis; KSEB to go ahead

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the rise in electricity prices in the market, Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) is moving forward with plans to set up a nuclear power plant to address the power crisis in the state. Subject to the approval of the central and state governments, KSEB plans to utilize the readily available thorium reserves along the Kerala coast to establish a nuclear power plant.

The cost of one unit of electricity in the market has increased from Rs 3.08 to Rs 5.38. An additional Rs 3-4 will be required when distributing. Although solar power generation is increasing, the lack of storage batteries means it cannot be used at night. The battery system comes with a huge cost. The average daily consumption is 70 million units, of which only less than 20 million units are generated from hydropower.

The board's total expenditure for one year is Rs 22,000 crores, of which Rs 15,000 crores is spent on purchasing electricity. Frequently increasing tariffs to overcome the crisis is causing widespread public outrage. In this context, the board is hoping that it can avoid the need to purchase electricity from outside by producing nuclear electricity at a lower cost.

The crisis caused by the cancellation of the 465 MW long-term contract has not been resolved. The only solace is the availability of coal (coal linkage) to generate 500 MW. Steps have also been taken to purchase 500 MW of solar power. However, this alone will not be enough to overcome the crisis. The frequent hike in electricity tariffs is creating agricultural and industrial crises as well.

Two lakh tons of thorium
Two lakh tons of thorium is present in the thorium waste and surrounding areas, accounting for 30 per cent of the world's thorium reserves. NTPC has 1180 acres of land in Kayamkulam, Alappuzha, a region rich in monazite sand. A thorium plant can be set up on 600 acres of land. The Kayamkulam thermal power plant with a capacity of 385 megawatts is not generating electricity. The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Kalpakkam has a thorium plant. The plan is to build a similar plant in Kayamkulam. The study report on thorium's quality, safety, cost, and other aspects is favourable. However, the major ruling parties, CPI(M) and CPI, have not yet expressed their stance on the matter.

Nuclear power generation in the country:

8 plants (7180 MW)
4 plants (5300 MW) are under construction
Planning to build 11 more plants (39,200 MW)