The Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) is in
the process of arriving at the cost of nuclear reactor for making medical
isotopes under the public-private partnership (PPP) to estimate the investment
required, according to K.N. Vyas, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in May announced
setting up of a dedicated nuclear research reactor under the PPP for making
medical isotopes or radio pharmaceuticals.
“The BARC, India’s premier nuclear research
organisation, is preparing the design so that the reactor’s cost could be
estimated before approaching the private sector,” Vyas told IANS.
“The BARC has taken up the work of reactor design. The reactor capacity
will be 40-60 MW and will depend on the demand for medical isotopes,” Vyas
said.
India has built 40-100 MW research reactors. But the last
research reactor was built in 1984. Thus, new costs would have to be worked
out, he added.
According to Vyas, once the reactor cost is worked out, the
private sector could be approached for partnership as they have to know the
quantum of investment from their side.
Vyas had earlier said the cost of research reactors might be
different from power generation reactors.
He had also ruled out hiving off the existing research
reactor under the proposed PPP as they were set up at specific locations and
free access couldn’t be provided to all. A private investor would like to have
free access to the reactor set up under the PPP.
The Finance Minister had announced the PPP model for setting
up irradiation units for farm produce to complement the agricultural reforms
announced earlier and also to help farmers.
Sitharaman had said the idea was to link India’s robust
startup ecosystem to the nuclear sector. Technology development-cum-incubation
centres would be set up for fostering synergy between research facilities and
tech-entrepreneurs.
“About 20 such units are functioning in the country.
Irradiation is useful in extending the shelf-life of the farm produce. A lot of
food gets wasted in the country,” Vyas had told IANS earlier.
