Asian Nuclear Energy

India's largest engineering and construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) is ready for its foray into the nuclear power plant construction business pact with two overseas firms. L&T will sign cooperation agreements with General Electric Hitachi of the US and Areva of France, two of the largest vendors of reactors shortly.

L&T has already signed cooperation agreements with three other reactor makers - Atomstroyexport (ASE), which is part of Rosatom of Russia, Toshiba Westinghouse of the US and Atomic Energy of Canada (AEC).

"We are close to signing cooperation deals with Areva and GE," a top company official said.

Experts believe that all latest tie-ups, which are related with nuclear business, would make L&T a major player in global reactor construction, as the deals covered cooperation on projects in various regions, apart from India.

India's civil nuclear power programme is poised for a takeoff following India's entry into the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) after a three-decade ban. It offers an opportunity worth $60 billion for the global nuclear industry as India plans to add about 60,000 Mw capacity by 2032.

L&T's discussions with Areva assume significance as the French company will supply reactors and technology for the new 4,000-5,000 Mw nuclear reactors coming up at Jaitapur in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra. India's new nuclear capacity addition programme will start with this project.

India also planned to source reactors for about 10,000 Mw from the US vendors, White Westinghouse and GE Hitachi.

L&T hopes to get 20 percent of its future business from the power sector and to partner with vendors to supply equipment and systems, valves, electrical and instrumentation, fabrication of structural and piping and construction of plants, besides regular spare sourcing and specialized post-installation support.

L&T has experience in equipment manufacture, construction, project maintenance and other support services for PWR (pressurised water reactor) programmes in India, starting with the Tarapur reactor in 1974.

The company also has a major role in construction, piping and erection services for the two nuclear reactors coming up at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. In the next stage, four more 1,000 Mw reactors will be added at Kudankulam. Rosatom, which has a co-operation agreement with L&T, is to supply the reactors and technology for Kudankulam.