GE Steam Power has inked a $165 million pact with state-run engineering firm Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to supply three nuclear steam turbines out of six units for NPCIL's domestic nuclear program. The turbines to be procured shall be used for phase 1 being developed at Gorakhpur, Haryana (units - 1 to 4 (GHAVP)) and Kaiga (Kaiga-5 and 6) Karnataka.

Supporting the Atma Nirbhar Bharat initiative launched by the government of India, GE will manufacture the nuclear steam turbines at its facility in Sanand, Gujarat.

These turbines are being engineered and manufactured with an improved design for enhanced output that will meet the requirements of the customer.

Frédéric Wiscart, Nuclear New Build Leader for GE Steam Power, said “Nuclear energy is a critical and one of the most dependable sources of carbon-free power providing round-the-clock energy supply without interruption."

"At GE Steam Power, we are proud to partner with BHEL and to continue to support NPCIL and India in its path to a reliable and lower carbon energy future. With our facility in Sanand, we have local manufacturing capability to deliver on the nuclear aspirations of India domestic programme," he added.

Domestic Nuclear Programme

India is the only developing nation to have indigenously developed, demonstrated and deployed nuclear reactors for electricity generation.

To fast-track India’s domestic nuclear power programme, GoI has accorded administrative approval and financial sanction in June 2017 for setting up of 10 units of indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (10x 700 MW PHWRs) in fleet mode with a total cost of Rs 1,05,000 crore.

Under the fleet mode, a nuclear power plant is expected to be built over a period of five years from the first pour of concrete.

In addition, the government has also accorded administrative approval and financial sanction for two units of Light Water Reactors (2x1000 MW LWRs) to be implemented with Russian Cooperation.

The Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors are fuelled by Natural Uranium while Light Water Reactors (LWRs) are fuelled by Low Enriched Uranium. The annual requirement of fuel (UO2) of a 700 MW PHWR (at 85 per cent Capacity Factor) is about 125 tons and that of a 1000 MW LWR (at a capacity factor of 90 per cent), about 25 tons.

The projects to be taken in fleet mode include Gorakhpur Haryana Anu Vidyut Pariyojana Units - 3 & 4 (GHAVP - 3 and 4) at Gorakhpur in Haryana; Kaiga - 5 and 6 (2x700 MW) at Kaiga in Karnataka; Chutka Madhya Pradesh Atomic Power Project Units - 1 and 2 (CMPAPP – 1 and 2) at Chutka in Madhya Pradesh and Mahi Banswara Rajasthan Atomic Power Project units 1 to 4 (MBRAPP - 1, 2, 3 and 4) at Rawatbhata in Rajasthan.

These projects are scheduled to be progressively completed by 2031. At present, pre-project activities at sites and bulk procurement of long delivery equipment are in progress in these projects

GE-BHEL Cooperation

Today, GE's steam turbine technology operates in 50 per cent of the world's nuclear power plants, producing 200 gigawatts (GWs) for the global grid.

GE Power’s Steam Power business has executed multiple projects for BHEL in the past and is a Licensor for Once-Through-Boiler technology for the EPC Company. A License and Technical Assistance Agreement between GE and BHEL has been in place since October 2005.

In 2018, GE and BHEL had signed a business cooperation agreement and a License and Technology Transfer Agreement to enable them to manufacture nuclear steam turbines of 700 MW. Under this partnership, the two companies have positioned themselves to respond to the country's needs for a lower carbon source of energy.

The GE Steam Power has supplied nuclear steam turbines in consortium with BHEL for the ongoing NPCIL projects at Kakrapar (KAPP) and Rawatbhatha (RAPP) that will deliver 2.8GW of CO2 free energy once completed.

Kakrapar Atomic Power Plant, Unit-3 (KAPP-3) is India’s first 700 MWe (megawatt electric) PWHR Reactor with innovative features and attained criticality on 22 July 2020.

KAPP-3 is located at Kakrapar Site in Gujarat, where already two 220 MWe PHWRs (KAPS-1 & KAPS-2) are in operation and another 700 MWe PHWR (KAPP-4) is under advanced stage of construction.

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