NEW DELHI: Ratan Kumar Sinha, director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, was today appointed as the next chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC).
60-year-old Sinha is expected to assume charge of the country’s nuclear programme from AEC Chairman Srikumar Banerjee on Monday. Banerjee superannuates on April 30.
Sinha will also be the secretary, Department of Atomic Energy.
His appointment comes at a time when India plans to expand its nuclear power generation capacities exponentially and has set an ambitious target generating 63,000 MW of atomic power by 2032.
A Mechanical Engineer from Patna University, Sinha joined the 16th batch of the BARC Training School in 1973 and has been guiding the next generation Advanced Heavy Water Reactor (AHWR).
Sinha has also spearheaded the development of several remote inspection technologies to address inspection, life extension and replacement of the coolant channel components of pressurised heavy water reactors which has enabled continued safe operation of seven Indian PHWRs up to nearly ten full power years.
Sinha had also contributed towards the rehabilitation of the two reactors of Madras Atomic Power Station (MAPS) in Kalpakkam , following the failure of their moderator inlet manifold inside the calandria vessel.
He was also associated with the design, development and installation of coolant channels and other core-internal structural components of the country’s first indigenous 100MW Dhruva Research Reactor at BARC.
