N-deal will remove restrictions on supplies: Montek

After clearly spelling out in the XIth Plan document the importance of ensuring there are adequate supplies of fuel for nuclear power plants, apart from what is indigenously available, Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia, on Tuesday, defended the nuclear deal and said that the deal 8220;will remove restrictions on supplies8221;.

When Ahluwalia was asked as to why the Plan document spelled out how the plant load factor PLF of nuclear power plants was coming down and the fact that efforts were underway to source fuel in addition to what was domestically available, he told the media, 8220;we have stated the factual position. The nuclear deal will remove the existing restrictions on supplies8221;. The XIth Plan document said that PLF of NPCIL8217;s stations increased from 60 per cent in 1995-96 to 82 per cent in 2001-01 and thereafter, came down to 57 per cent in 2006-07 on account of fuel shortage.