L038;T,Westinghouse to develop nuke reactors

Engineering and construction major Larsen amp; Toubro Lamp;T signed an agreement with US-based Westinghouse Electric Company,a subsidiary of Japanese major Toshiba,to build nuclear power plants in the country. Under the pact,the companies will together build 1,000 MW nuclear reactors in the country. Westinghouse has prior experience in constructing AP 1000 light water reactors using pressurised water nuclear reactors with modular construction technology which are used in the US and China.

The MoU with WEC is for modular nuclear reactors. We are already an established player in the nuclear power field. In Lamp;T,our focus will be on providing a one-stop-shop solution for nuclear power plants, Lamp;T board member M V Kotwal said. Talking about demand for reactors in the country,he said that reactors worth Rs 60,000 th Rs 80,000 crore could be ordered by 2020. Lamp;T is a leading player in the field of manufacturing,technology development,equipment manufacture and site or plant services for the Indian nuclear power plant programme. The pact with WEC would enable the domestic major to dock some components from the country as well,which Lamp;T would look at on a later date.

The companies would start intense dialogue to assess the kind of need the country might have before reaching out to any numbers in terms of business potential,Kotwal said. Lamp;T would provide the construction and the fabrication of the power plants and WEC would be responsible for designing,engineering and procurement of the components.

Private companies are allowed to participate in the nuclear power sector only as a minority partner with Nuclear Power Corporation of India NPCIL. Lamp;T today said that it was in advanced stages of discussion with NPCIL for setting up a joint venture company for producing forging materials. The dialogue with NPCIL is in progress and at an advanced stage now, Kotwal said.