The Naveen Jindal Group is making significant strides into the nuclear energy sector, unveiling an ambitious plan to establish 18 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear power capacity within the next two decades. This massive undertaking, valued at ₹1.8 lakh crore, forms a core part of the group's decarbonization strategy.
Global Partnerships for Nuclear Technology
To realize its vision, the Jindal Group is currently in advanced discussions with several prominent international nuclear technology players. These include US-based Westinghouse, French multinational EDF (Électricité de France), and the Russian state-owned nuclear energy corporation, Rosatom.
Naveen Ahlawat, Head of Sustainability & Decarbonization at Jindal Steel, confirmed these engagements. "We are identifying technology with international companies like EDF, Rosatom, Westinghouse and others. We are in touch with them and are evaluating all this technology thoroughly," Ahlawat stated.
Diverse Reactor Capacities Under Consideration
The group's strategy involves exploring a mix of reactor capacities to meet its diverse energy needs. The potential technologies range from smaller 220 MW modular reactors to large-scale 1600 MW units. Specific options under evaluation include:
- Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) with capacities around 220 MW.
- 700 MW Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) from India's Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
- Rosatom's 1200 MW VVR reactors.
- EDF's 1650 MW reactors.
Ahlawat emphasized the group's technology-agnostic approach, stating, "Jindal Steel is absolutely technology agnostic in nuclear, as our requirement is for bigger reactors, and we are evaluating all the potential and possible technologies available in the world."
Securing Land and Navigating New Territory
Beyond technology partnerships, a crucial aspect of the project involves land acquisition. Nuclear power projects require significant land parcels, often necessitating specific distances from human habitations for safety and regulatory compliance.
"We are qualifying the land in terms of getting the seismic work done and the geotechnical work done. We have already more or less cleared the initial warming activities. We have started the environmental impact assessment studies and are sort of accelerating this overall movement," Ahlawat explained, highlighting the rigorous preparatory work underway.
As private players enter the Indian nuclear energy space for the first time, Ahlawat acknowledged the pioneering nature of their endeavor. "The private players in India are starting for the first time. So at least, we start to do the warming up for the initial one pair, at least one pair, meaning two reactors, because all the things come in pairs and then you sort of go for mix. The good thing is that there is no playbook, and you have to write your own playbook. You need to strategize yourself," he added, underscoring the unique challenges and opportunities ahead.