NEW DELHI: Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday stated that he had urged states to identify potential sites for setting up nuclear power projects. Speaking to the media after a meeting with state power ministers, he also mentioned that 18 sites have been identified across the country for the establishment of nuclear power capacity.
“Nuclear power capacity is expected to grow from 8 Gw to 20 Gw by 2032. States located far from coal sources should consider setting up nuclear power plants at sites where coal-based thermal power plants have completed their life,” said the minister.
He also urged states to expedite the implementation of smart metering projects, noting that this would help reduce operational and financial losses. He further recommended offering a 5% rebate to prepaid consumers.
“We have urged the states to proceed in a phased manner, starting with high-load customers and gradually moving to low-load ones,” he said. The conference of Power Ministers of States/UTs was held on November 12, and the minister highlighted that today, the peak demand, which has reached as high as 250 GW, is being effectively met through collective efforts. However, in view of the growing demand, additional efforts are required to increase capacity.