Question

What is NPCIL?
A) Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.
B) Nuclear Power Commission of India Ltd.
C) Nuclear Power Company of India Ltd.
D) National Power Corporation of India Ltd.

Answer 1

Hint: The NPCIL is an Indian public sector undertaking, wholly owned by the Government of India based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. NPCIL is under the administrative control of the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and is responsible for the generation of nuclear power for electricity.

Complete Answer:
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. was established in September 1987 under the Companies Act of 1956. In pursuance of the programs and schemes of the Government of India under the provision of the Atomic Energy Act of 1962, the corporation aims at undertaking the maintenance, design, construction, and operation of the atomic power stations for the generation of electricity. All the nuclear plants operated by the corporation are certified for ISO-14001 (Environment Management System).

Till the setting up of Bhavani Vidyut Nigam in October 2003, NPCIL was the sole body responsible for constructing and operating India’s commercial nuclear power plants. The corporation had a total installed capacity of 6780 MW and 22 nuclear reactors in operation at seven locations as of 10th August 2012. The corporation has been experiencing problems with private enterprises poaching on its employees subsequent to the Government’s decision to allow private companies to provide nuclear power.

The mission of this corporation is to produce nuclear power as a safe, economically viable, and environmentally benign source of electrical energy to meet the growing electricity needs of the country and to develop nuclear power technology.

Thus, option (A) is correct.

Note:
Besides fulfilling regulatory and statutory requirements, NPCIL has voluntarily taken up the Environment Stewardship Programme (ESP). This program focuses on the scientific study of biodiversity, particularly avifauna, within and around Exclusion Zones (EZs) of Indian nuclear power plants for the conservation and improvement of habitat in association with nature conservation institutions.