Mumbai: In an effort to meet the challenges of the nuclear power industry during the next five years, the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) would set up a stand-alone zirconium oxide plant and zirconium sponge plants at Palayakayal in Tamil Nadu.

Delivering the key-note address at the three-day national symposium on "Zirconium- 2002" which concluded in Mumbai on September 13, chairman and chief executive of NFC, Dr C Ganguly said the detailed project report (DPR) of the 500-tonne capacity Zirconium oxide plant along with 250-tonne capacity reactor grade zirconium sponge plant has been already prepared and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies are underway.

With the commissioning of these two plants, the zirconium requirement for the nuclear power programme would be met for the next ten years, Ganguly added.

NFC is also augmenting the production of Haffnium-free zirconium oxide powder and reactor grade zirconium sponge in the existing facilities at Hyderabad, he said.

The challenges before NFC would be to manufacture the core structurals for the six Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) which are under construction, including the two 540 MW each at Tarapur (units 3 and 4), Ganguly said.

"Manufacturing the reactivity mechanisms, in particular for the unit 3 and 4 of Tarapur, is a challenging assignment for the NFC staff," he added.

PTI