India foresees sharp rise in its nuclear power

**greencat** · #1 08-19-2009, 05:28 PM

NEW DELHI (AFP) - India, whose nuclear pariah status ended last year, could obtain 50 percent of its power from atomic energy by 2050, the country's nuclear chief said in an interview published Wednesday.

India, which emerged from decades of nuclear isolation in 2008 when it signed a civilian technology supply agreement with the United States, now gets less than three percent of its energy needs from atomic power.

"The proportion of nuclear power by 2050 could well be around 50 percent -- 600-700 gigawatts -- if we successfully bring to bear the indigenous capability," Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, was quoted as saying by the magazine Asian Nuclear Energy.

Up to now, India has said it expected to get around 25 percent of its energy from nuclear power by mid-century.

Kakodkar, however, predicted the 25 percent target would be hit by 2020.

India, with a population of nearly 1.2 billion, currently relies on imported oil for about 70 percent of its energy needs.

Kakodkar dismissed a call last month contained in a finance ministry report to allow foreign direct investment in the country's politically sensitive nuclear field.

The Atomic Energy Act "requires nuclear power generation to be done by a government company in which at least 51 percent of shares are held by the central government," he said.

But he said that the private sector could play a role in manufacturing of nuclear equipment and other supply chain activities including construction.

Kakodkar predicted that the sale of foreign nuclear technology, equipment and fuel to India as a result of the civilian nuclear deal with the US would sharply boost the country's nuclear capacity.

Energy-hungry India has 17 operating nuclear power reactors and plans to increase its current capacity of 4,120 megawatts to 10,000 megawatts by 2012.

Kakodkar, who was instrumental in negotiating the landmark nuclear deal, said talks were underway with nuclear vendors from France, Russia and the United States for the construction of six to eight reactors.