Hyderabad: A senior official of the Department of Atomic Energy indicated in Hyderabad on April 10 that India can make its own fuel for the Nuclear Power plant to be built with Russian assistance at Kudankulam.

Under the present agreement, Russia is to build two 1000 mega-watt reactors on a turnkey basis with enriched uranium fuel to be supplied by Russia. The transfer of nuclear material automatically brings the reactors under the inspection of the international Atomic Energy Agency.

C Ganguly, chief executive of the Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC), told reporters on April 10 that "if needed, NFC can take up indigenous manufacturing of zirconium- niobium clad enriched uranium oxide fuel for the forthcoming units at Kudankulam".

He said three decades of experience on industrial scale manufacturing of zirconium alloy hardware and natural and enriched uranium oxide fuels for the Indian reactors "has inspired confidence in NFC to take up manufacturing of fuel for the Kudankulam plants".

Ganguly said the NFC is poised not only to meet India's domestic requirement of nuclear fuels "but also develop into a global player in the area of zirconium and tube technology".

He said not only the production capacity of NFC is being expanded in a big way during the 10th plan (2002-2007) but also "more NFCs will be set up at different suitable locations".

PTI