Steps to deal with nuclear waste
The wastes generated at the
nuclear power stations during the operation are of low & intermediate
activity level and are managed at the site itself. These wastes are treated,
concentrated, compacted, immobilised in solid materials like cement, bitumen, polymers
etc. in high integrity steel containers and stored in specially constructed
structures such as reinforced concrete trenches and tile holes, located at the
site. Such facilities are located at all the nuclear power stations. The area
around the facility including ground water is monitored for radioactivity. The
radioactivity level of the stored wastes reduces with time and by the end of
the plant life, falls to normal levels.
The cost of waste management,
including waste storage at the nuclear power plant sites, is small and is
internalised in the Operation & Maintenance (O&M) cost.
The tariffs of electricity
through nuclear energy are comparable to those of the contemporary conventional
base load power generating units (like coal based thermal power) located in the
area/region. The tariffs of nuclear power projects presently in operation range
from 94 Paise per unit for the first generation plants at Tarapur Atomic Power
Station Units 1&2 (TAPS-1&2) to 388 Paise per unit for latest
commissioned plant in Dec.2014 at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP). The
average tariff of nuclear power was about 278 Paise per unit in 2014-15. The
range of tariffs of fossil fuel based sources of electricity in the central
sector are given below:
Technology
|
Tariff Range (Paise/kWh) as
on 31.03.2015
|
Coal (Pithead Generating Stations)
|
163 – 347
|
Coal (Non
Pithead Generating Stations)
|
360 – 529
|
Natural Gas (APM)
|
431 – 579
|
Natural Gas (NAPM)
|
590 – 657
|
Liquified Natural Gas (LNG)
|
1040 – 1273
|
Naphtha/ HSD
|
790– 1500
|
Source: CERC Report on short term power market
in India 2014-15
This information was provided
the Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North-Eastern
Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances & Pensions, Atomic
Energy and Space, Dr Jitendra Singh in a reply to an unstarred question Rajya
Sabha today.
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