Indian Oil Corporation Explores Small Reactor Partnership With NPCIL For Clean Power At Refineries

Indian Oil Corporation Limited (IOCL) is exploring a partnership with Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to use small modular reactors, or SMRs, in its refineries for clean power.

The state-run oil major has started preliminary talks with atomic power monopoly to develop a new generation of smaller, more efficient reactors, Alok Sharma, Indian Oil's director for research and development, said at a conference in New Delhi on Wednesday.

SMRs typically have a power capacity of 300 MW or less, which is roughly one-third of that of standard plants.

They are more cost-effective to construct, making them an attractive option in the market compared to the bespoke, large-scale power plants known for exceeding budgets and missing deadlines.

Globally, only China and Russia have operating SMR units, while some other countries are preparing for their commissioning, the International Atomic Energy Agency said.

Russia, known for its expertise in traditional reactor technology, has the 35 MW Akademik Lomonosov plant, a floating nuclear power station that provides electricity to the port town of Pevek.

Moreover, Kremlin holds another advantage: its state-owned nuclear company fulfills nearly all global demand for SMR fuel, specifically high-assay low-enriched uranium (HALEU).

On the other hand, China is the only country to have an SMR in operation on land, a reactor in Shidao Bay, Shandong, that was grid-connected in December 2021.

Two more SMRs are under construction — a 30 MW unit in Argentina and a 300 MW plant in Russia by 2026-27.

The modularity, standardisation, and scalability of SMRs position them as indispensable tools in India's efforts to reduce carbon emissions.

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