Lok Sabha Question No. 660 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-07-20
Subject: India's Nuclear/Atomic Energy
Ministry: ATOMIC ENERGY
Asked by: Manish Tewari

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA DEPARTMENT OF ATOMIC ENERGY

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.660 TO BE ANSWERED ON 20.07.2022

## India's Nuclear / Atomic Energy

660. SHRI MANISH TEWARI:

Will the PRIME MINISTER be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of current share of India's atomic/nuclear energy in India's energy mix;
- (b) whether the Government has initiated any steps in the wake of the Ukraine war,  peaking  Oil  &  Gas  prices  and  ramping  up  of  atomic/nuclear  energy production by many countries;
- (c) the details of the nuclear energy capacity installed in India after the Indo-US Civil Nuclear agreement, 2008 till date;
- (d) whether Indian have been able to reconcile the fundamental incompatibility between its Civil Nuclear Liability Law of 2010 and international conventions;
- (e) whether  it  is  a  fact  that  the  Civil  Nuclear  Liability  Law  has  become  in impediment in accessing foreign technology for nuclear research;
- (f) whether  the  C&AG  have  been  critical  of  the  relationship  between  Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and Department of Atomic Energy and if so, the reasons therefor; and
- (g) the  status  of  the  Nuclear  Safety  Regulatory  Bill  and  whether  it  has  been shelved by the current Government?

## ANSWER

THE  MINISTER  OF  STATE  FOR  PERSONNEL,  PUBLIC  GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER'S OFFICE (DR.JITENDRA SINGH):

- (a) The  share  of  nuclear  power  in  the  total  electricity  generation  in  the country in the year 2021-22 was about 3.15%.
- (b) The  Government  has  arranged  for  adequate  quantity  of  fuel  to  enable operation  of  the  existing  nuclear  power  reactors  at  rated  capacity.  In addition, the Government had earlier sanctioned projects to increase the current  installed  nuclear  power  capacity  of  6780  MW  to  22480  MW  by 2031.

- (c) A nuclear power capacity of 2660 MW comprising of RAPP 5&6 (2X220 MW), KGS-4 (220 MW) and KKNPP 1&2 (2X1000 MW) has been added after  2008.  In  addition,  nuclear  power  projects  with  a  total  capacity  of 15,200 MW have been accorded sanction since 2008 and are at various stages of implementation.
- (d)  The  provisions  of  the  CLND  Act  are  in  compliance  with  the  Convention  on Supplementary Compensation (CSC) and its Annex in terms of channelling the strict/absolute  legal  liability  to  the  operator,  the  limitations  of  the  liability  in amount and time, liability cover by insurance and financial security, definitions of nuclear installation, damage, etc.  In fact the CLND Act has provided the basis for India joining the CSC.  Article XVIII of CSC requires that the national law of a contracting party that is not a party to either the Vienna Convention or the Paris Convention has to comply with the provisions of the Annex to CSC.  The CLND Act is in compliance with the Annex to the CSC.
- (e)  No, Sir.
- (f) C&AG carried out a performance audit of activities of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) in 2012 and has made certain observations on the independence of AERB in view of its reporting to Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) which is chaired by Secretary of DAE. While AERB had explained its functional autonomy in  its  regulatory  decision  making,  C&AG  had  expressed  the  desirability  for  the regulatory body to be established through legislation on a legally independent basis.
- (g)  'The Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA) Bill, 2011' was introduced in the  Lok  Sabha  on  7  September  2011.  However,  the  Bill  along  with  its  official amendments could not be taken up for consideration by the 15 th Lok Sabha due to its dissolution. Subsequently, a Note for Cabinet on NSRA Bill, 2015 which is essentially  the  NSRA  Bill,  2011  along  with  official  amendments  had  been submitted to Cabinet Secretariat for Cabinet approval after fresh inter-ministerial consultations. However, the Committee on Secretaries advised the Department to  re-examine  the  Bill.  The  Department,  thus,  constituted  a  Committee  for  reexamination and withdrew the Cabinet Note seeking approval for introduction of NSRA Bill, 2015, and was not pursued further.

*****