In a view to standardise and bring modularity in building the atomic power reactors, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is going for fleet mode construction for the future projects, Department of Atomic Energy Secretary, KN Vyas said on Friday.

While speaking at the India Energy Forum’s Nuclear Conclave, Vyas said that 17 new reactors are now in the pipeline, with seven under construction.

Last year, the atomic energy agency had said that India plans to build 21 new nuclear power plants by 2030. “We are going in for fleet mode for construction, thereby reducing construction costs and speeding up construction time,” he said.

He added that India is an old player in the nuclear energy sector with the first research reactor in Asia being commissioned in the country.

“Our learning curve was steep and we could ramp up the reactor construction to 22 reactors over the last few decades, the seventh largest fleet in the world,” he said.

He further noted that the overall contribution to the electrical grid does appear insignificant, this has been due to the smaller capacity reactors built initially to gain experience in this complex technology, without international support.

In the event, Minister of State for Atomic Energy and Space, Jitendra Singh said that awareness needs to be created among the people about busting the myths associated with the use of nuclear energy.

He further said that the nuclear energy is a source of energy to meet the rising demands of the country and it is an instrument of ease of living in one’s day to day life.

Former Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar said the access to the imported uranium can accelerate the nuclear programme’s size as well as large scale thorium deployment.

Referring to the waiver of the Nuclear Suppliers Group or NSG to India in 2008, he said the nuclear programme now has much less constraints.

He talked about short-term actions on the part of Department of Atomic Energy or DAE, such as early movement on the Fast Breeder Reactor or FBR deployment and early deployment of indigenous Light Water Reactors.