NEW DELHI: India has expressed interest in selling small nuclear reactors to Malaysia and other developing countries, if the governments are keen to use it to generate power.

At present, India is the only country in the world that produces the 220-megawatt (MWe) pressurised-heavy-water reactor after Canada, a key producer that abandoned the project as production was no longer economical.

“We are willing to sell to friendly nations like Malaysia, if there is a genuine interest, as nuclear power production is a long term commitment,” Sudhinder Thakur, executive director (corporate planning) of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) told Bernama.

After India conducted a nuclear test in 1974, the Nuclear Suppliers Group barred it from trading in nuclear technology. But when India signed a controversial nuclear deal with the United States last October, the sanction was lifted.

“From a technical point of view, we can sell these reactors,” said Thakur, adding that India was ready to promote the indigenous reactor to countries, which had adequate regulatory laws and expertise to operate it.

“The ultimate objective is to produce electricity as cheaply as possible, using coal. It is commercially viable with these reactors. It is also 30 to 40 per cent cheaper compared to coal,” he said.

At present 17 reactors, ranging from 160 MWe to 540 MWe, are in operation across India, generating 4,120 MWe.

Three other plants under construction are expected to be commissioned by this year and India aims to produce 25 per cent of its electricity from nuclear power by 2050.

The government-owned NPCIL is the sole body responsible for constructing and operating India’s commercial nuclear power plants.

India, the third largest economy in Asia, launched its nuclear programme as part of an energy-self-sufficiency strategy and to meet the growing demand from its robust industrial sector.

—Bernama