1. THE ENERGY SCENARIO IN INDIA
Prof. S.P. Sukhatme
Chairman
Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
Mumbai
Lecture at
Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of
Information and Communication Technology
March 26, 2004

2. THE ENERGY SCENARIO IN INDIA
Introduction
India’s Production, Consumption and Reserves of Commercial Energy Sources
- Fossil Fuels
- Hydroelectric Power
- Nuclear Power
Observations
- The Need for Energy Conservation
- The Need for Alternative Sources
4. Concluding Remarks

3. India’s Production, Consumption and Reserves of Commercial Energy Sources
Fossil Fuels
- Coal
- Oil
- Natural Gas
Supply more than 90 percent of India’s
consumption of commercial energy

4. ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF COAL IN INDIA

5. EXPECTED TREND IN THE PRODUCTION RATE OF A NON-RENEWABLE ENERGY SOURCE

6. Coal Reserves in India (in Mt)
Year Proved Indicated and Resources
reserves inferred
reserves
21, , ,950
27, , ,402
35, , ,900
64, , ,800
68, , ,900
72, , ,650
Source : Geological Survey of India
Using the variation shown in the previous figure, estimates
have been made of the time when the production would pass
through a maximum. These show that coal production in
India may be expected to peak between AD 2040 and 2080.

7. ANNUAL PRODUCTION, IMPORT AND CONSUMPTION OF OIL IN INDIA

8. Oil Reserves in India
The position regarding reserves is rather uncertain. Proved recoverable reserves were estimated to be around 800 Mt in Extensive prospecting is in progress and there are hopes that more oil will be discovered off-shore.
How Long Will Our Oil Reserves Last?
In the event that no substantial discoveries are made, the position is quite serious. The present domestic production cannot be sustained for more than 25 years.

9. ANNUAL PRODUCTION OF NATURAL GAS IN INDIA

10. How Long Will Gas Reserves Last?
Natural Gas Reserves in India
Proved recoverable reserves of natural gas were
estimated to be 735 billion cu.m. in Major gas
fields have been discovered since then. Last year
gas reserves of about 230 billion cu.m. have been
discovered off the Andhra Pradesh coast.
Possibilities of finding more gas reserves are good.
How Long Will Gas Reserves Last?
Present indications are that the annual production
of gas will increase and that the reserves will last
much longer than oil.

11. Installed Hydro-electric Power Capacity and Electricity Produced in India
Year Installed Electricity
Capacity (MW) produced (GWh)
560
,917
,090
,910
,115
, ,557
, ,001
, ,089
, ,375
21, ,500
22,438
,580

12. The hydro-electric power potential has been estimated to be 150,000 MW
The hydro-electric power potential has been estimated to be 150,000 MW. A significant part of this potential is in the north and north-east.
Small Hydro-electric Power Schemes
Potential : MW in 1500 locations
Installed : MW

13. Installed Nuclear Power In India (2003)
Location Capacity (MW)
Tarapur (Maharashtra) 2 x = 320
Rawatbhata (Rajasthan) = 300
Kalpakkam (Tamil Nadu) 2 x = 340
Narora (Uttar Pradesh) 2 x = 440
Kakrapara (Gujarat) 2 x = 440
Kaiga (Karnataka) 2 x = 440
Rawatbhata (Rajasthan) 2 x = 440
Total : MW

14. ELECTRICITY PRODUCTION FROM NUCLEAR POWER IN INDIA

15. Nuclear Power Projects
Location Capacity (MW)
Tarapur 2 x = 1080
Kaiga 2 x = 440
Rana Pratap Sagar 2 x = 440
Kudankulam 2 x 1000 = 2000
Kalpakkam 1 x = 500
Total :
Second largest construction programme in
the world.

16. Uranium Reserves in India
Very modest reserves. It is estimated that proved
recoverable reserves are around t with
perhaps another t of recoverable resources.
How Long Will Our Uranium Reserves Last?
The proved recoverable reserves would only be
adequate for providing the requirements of an
installed capacity of MW for about 30 years,
i.e. 300 GW-yr, (if the present technology
continues to be used). Present technology uses
only the energy obtained from the fission of
the U235 isotope in natural uranium.

17. ELECTRICAL POWER – INSTALLED CAPACITY (Approximate)
Thermal 70,000 MW
Hydro 25,000
Nuclear ,700
Wind ,500
Total : 100,000 MW

18. India USA Electricity production 533 x 109 3719 x 109 in 2001 ( kWh)
Approx. annual per
capita consumption of
electricity (kWh/yr)

19. OBSERVATIONS Fossil Fuels
1. The domestic production of crude oil may not increase much. On the other hand, the production of natural gas is still increasing. Present indications are that most of the reserves of oil are likely to be consumed in another 25 years. Gas may last a little longer.
2. As oil and natural gas become scarcer, a greater burden will fall on coal. It is likely that the production of coal will touch a maximum somewhere between the years 2040 and 2080 and that 80 to 90 percent of the amount available could be consumed by AD 2250.

20. 3. It should also be noted that in addition to supplying energy, fossil fuels are used extensively as feedstock material for the manufacture of organic chemicals. As reserves deplete, the need for using fossil fuels exclusively for such purposes may become greater.

21. Hydro-electric Power
There is considerable scope for increasing the
capacity of hydro-electric power. Hydro-electric
power is indirectly obtained from solar energy and
has the advantage of being a renewable source.
Nuclear Power
The position regarding uranium is serious if we
continue to use it as at present, that is use only the
U235 isotope.

22. It is thus fairly evident that the need exists for
- conserving energy with the use of proper
management practices.
developing energy efficient products, systems
and processes
developing alternative energy sources.
While developing energy alternatives, the immediate concern would be to alleviate the problems caused by the depletion of oil and natural gas, while the long term need would be to develop means to replace presently used nuclear fission technology and then coal.

23. ENERGY ALTERNATIVES (Primary Sources)
The Solar Option
(Direct and Indirect Methods)
The Nuclear Option
(Breeder Reactor, Nuclear Fusion)
Other Alternatives
(Tar Sands, Oil Shale, Coal Based Methane, Gas Hydrates, Tidal Energy, Geothermal Energy)

24. The Solar Option
A very large, inexhaustible source of energy.
The power from the sun intercepted by the
earth is 1.8 x 1011 MW which is thousands
of times larger than the present consumption
rate.
Advantages : Environmentally clean
Free
Disadvantages : Dilute source of energy
Not available continuously

25. Methods of Solar Energy Utilization
Direct Methods
- Thermal
- Photovoltaic
When used directly, one needs large
collecting areas and storage systems. Thus
the initial capital cost of direct solar systems
is high.

26. Indirect Methods
- Hydroelectric power
- Wind
- Biomass
- Wave energy
- Ocean temperature differences
The solar option can make a significant
impact only through the indirect route because
then nature does the job of collecting and
storing the energy.

27. The Nuclear Option
The Breeder Reactor
Composition of naturally occuring uranium
U %
U %
U %
U235 is the only naturally occuring fissile
material. Nuclear reactors in commercial
operation today use only the U235 isotope.
Thus the abundant U238 isotope is waste.

28. U238 is called a fertile material. It can be
converted into a fissile material, plutonium
Similarly Th232 is also a fertile
material. It can be converted into a fissile
material, U233.
These are called breeder reactions.

29. BREEDER REACTIONS OF U238 AND Th232

30. For India, the thorium 232 to uranium 233 breeder
reaction is of significance because we have large
deposits of thorium. These could yield about
300,000 GW-yr.
In India, a Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR) has
been commissioned. The reactor is cooled by liquid
sodium and uses plutonium-uranium carbide fuel. It
has been operated at 8 MW (thermal) and has
generated electrical power. The successful operation
of the FBTR is being followed by the construction
of a 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor.

31. Nuclear Fusion Energy is released by joining very light atoms.
If research on controlled fusion is eventually
successful and fusion reactors are built, they
could provide the solution to the world’s
energy problem.
The reactions of interest involve the fusing of
the heavy isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium D and
tritium T) into the next heavier elements, viz. helium
6D He + 2p + 2n MeV
Deuterium occurs naturally in sea water in
essentially inexhaustible quantities.

32. Key problems in the development of a nuclear
fusion reactor are the attainment of the
required high temperature by initially heating
the fuel charge and the confinement of the
heated fuel for a long enough time for the
reaction to become self-sustaining.
Controlled fusion – Still a dream

33. Magnitudes of Energy Alternatives
The energy alternatives described can be
broadly classified in terms of their magnitude
into three categories.
Very large
Large
Relatively small

34. A Comparison of Energy Alternatives in Terms of their Magnitudes
Category Source
Very large Nuclear fusion
Large Solar energy – Indirect
Breeder reactor
Oil shale
Tar sands
Coal Based Methane
Gas Hydrates
Relatively Solar energy – Direct
small Tidal energy
Geothermal energy

35. CONCLUDING REMARKS The Fossil Fuel Era – A Blip in Time
Concerns about the Environment
The Need for a Simpler Life Style

36. “There is enough on this earth to meet every
man’s needs, but not enough to meet every
man’s greed.”
- Mahatma Gandhi