Need to double thermal capacity to maintain base load energy requirement: Ex-AEC chairman
A base load power plant is a power station that usually provides a continuous supply of electricity throughout the year with some minimum power generation requirement
Mumbai: At a time when most coal-fired power plants are under stress and the focus is on boosting renewable power, former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Anil Kakodkar on Tuesday said there is a need to double thermal capacity to maintain base load energy requirement. Along with thermal, there is a need to increase the nuclear energy capacity by 30-folds for energy security, Kakodkar said in an online lecture organised by Nehru Science Centre to commemorate the anniversary of the 1998 Pokhran Atomic Test and the National Technology Day.
“While we have to take initiatives towards decarbonisation, at the same time to meet the demand for electricity, we will have to have nearly 50 per cent of electricity through renewable resources and 50 per cent through base load plants like thermal, nuclear and hydro projects,” he said.
A base load power plant is a power station that usually provides a continuous supply of electricity throughout the year with some minimum power generation requirement.
Kakodkar further said that out of the nearly 230 GW of coal plants, some have to be taken off grid as they have crossed their life-span and therefore there is a need to double the capacity of coal-fired plants.
Nearly 45 GW of coal-fired plants are currently under stress, with more than one lakh crore of debt stuck in these plants.
“India should prepare a plan to achieve generation of 8,000 billion units of energy as against the current production of nearly 1,600 billion units. This will have to be done by having 50 per cent from renewable energy like wind, solar, bio and small hydro projects, while the rest 50 per cent from thermal, nuclear and hydro which are key in maintaining the base load energy requirement,” he added.
According to Kakodkar, both solar and wind are variable energy sources and cannot meet the base load requirements. This can be met only through coal and nuclear, and therefore their capacities will have to be increased.
India has set a target of 175 GW of renewable capacity by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030.
Currently, India has an installed capacity of 37 GW wind, 34 GW solar, 10 GW bio and nearly 4 GW of small hydro plants, while thermal capacity is around 230 GW, 7 GW of nuclear and 45 GW of hydro capacity.
He also said that to achieve the target of bringing global greenhouse gas emissions down, India must take advantage of the technology available.
“This is where the need for nuclear energy, which can be easily met with the ‘zero emission’ goal, arises. Due to the contribution of nuclear energy, the cost of reducing carbon emissions can be reduced,” he said.
There are currently 66 units with a capacity of 49,180 MW, including ongoing and planned projects.
“India will also need to develop technology to use the carbon dioxide for many industrial purposes and also for generating electricity. This will also help in tackling the carbon emission issue,” he added.
Mumbai: At a time when most coal-fired power plants are under stress and the focus is on boosting renewable power, former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Anil Kakodkar on Tuesday said there is a need to double thermal capacity to maintain base load energy requirement. Along with thermal, there is a need to increase the nuclear energy capacity by 30-folds for energy security, Kakodkar said in an online lecture organised by Nehru Science Centre to commemorate the anniversary of the 1998 Pokhran Atomic Test and the National Technology Day.
“While we have to take initiatives towards decarbonisation, at the same time to meet the demand for electricity, we will have to have nearly 50 per cent of electricity through renewable resources and 50 per cent through base load plants like thermal, nuclear and hydro projects,” he said.
A base load power plant is a power station that usually provides a continuous supply of electricity throughout the year with some minimum power generation requirement.
Kakodkar further said that out of the nearly 230 GW of coal plants, some have to be taken off grid as they have crossed their life-span and therefore there is a need to double the capacity of coal-fired plants.
Nearly 45 GW of coal-fired plants are currently under stress, with more than one lakh crore of debt stuck in these plants.
“India should prepare a plan to achieve generation of 8,000 billion units of energy as against the current production of nearly 1,600 billion units. This will have to be done by having 50 per cent from renewable energy like wind, solar, bio and small hydro projects, while the rest 50 per cent from thermal, nuclear and hydro which are key in maintaining the base load energy requirement,” he added.
According to Kakodkar, both solar and wind are variable energy sources and cannot meet the base load requirements. This can be met only through coal and nuclear, and therefore their capacities will have to be increased.
India has set a target of 175 GW of renewable capacity by 2022 and 450 GW by 2030.
Currently, India has an installed capacity of 37 GW wind, 34 GW solar, 10 GW bio and nearly 4 GW of small hydro plants, while thermal capacity is around 230 GW, 7 GW of nuclear and 45 GW of hydro capacity.
He also said that to achieve the target of bringing global greenhouse gas emissions down, India must take advantage of the technology available.
“This is where the need for nuclear energy, which can be easily met with the ‘zero emission’ goal, arises. Due to the contribution of nuclear energy, the cost of reducing carbon emissions can be reduced,” he said.
There are currently 66 units with a capacity of 49,180 MW, including ongoing and planned projects.
“India will also need to develop technology to use the carbon dioxide for many industrial purposes and also for generating electricity. This will also help in tackling the carbon emission issue,” he added.
Source: PTI
