Vedanta puts call out for nuclear energy partners
The India-based natural resources and technology conglomerate Vedanta is inviting companies to express interest in the construction and supply of 5000 MWe of nuclear power capacity.
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India is the fifth largest, fastest growing, global economy and the third largest consumer of energy after the USA and China, and, with the world's largest thorium reserves, has an "unparalleled opportunity to be a global nuclear leader", the company said in the Global Invitation for an Expression of Interest it released on 20 February.
"With this in view, Vedanta is inviting expressions of interest to build and operate 5000 MWe of nuclear power in India for captive use. We are looking for a globally recognised company with a proven track record of designing, building and operating nuclear plants to deliver an end-to-end turnkey project," its invitation says. Vedanta will provide "local permits and regulatory approvals, land, battery utility limits and infrastructure support".
Vedanta describes itself as the largest producer of zinc, lead and silver, aluminium, iron ore, oil and gas, and ferro chrome in India, and Vedanta Power as one of the largest private sector power generators in India, with an overall capacity of 9 GW.
The request for Expressions of Interest comes weeks after Minister of Finance Nirmala Sitharaman's budget speech promised of amendments to Indian legislation to encourage private sector participation in nuclear projects as the country aims to develop at least 100 GW of nuclear energy by 2047. Since then, Indian power companies Tata Power and the Naveen Jindal Group have also expressed interest in setting up small modular reactors.
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