India, one of the world’s emerging economies on Monday, has been advised by the International Energy Agency (IEA) to re-open its nuclear power plans to address its energy crisis.
Only that India should proceed with caution and draw lessons from the nuclear accident at Fukushima in Japan in March.
“India should go ahead and implement its civil nuclear power plans,” the Hindu Times quoted Richard Jones, IEA deputy executive director, as saying during the International Energy Summit held first week of November in Singapore.
The IEA expert said India is well grounded to respond to changes and challenges as it did after the 1979 Three Mile Island incident in the US and the 1986 Chernobyl accident in Ukraine.
Indian policy makers aim to boost India’s nuclear power capacity to 63,000 MW by 2032. But the nuclear accident at Fukushima,Japan in March radically altered many nations’ attitudes towards nuclear power.
But the IEA said India could still pursue nuclear power as long as it makes sure not to compromise the safety of its people and the nations immediately surrounding it.
Moreover, its participation will create a cushion against high oil and gas prices, which are already hitting economies worldwide, Nabuo Tanaka, a former executive director at the IEA, said.
India is currently experiencing an escalating energy crisis, plagued by blackouts and electricity malfunctions because of rapid urbanization where supply can no longer keep up with demand. For India to continue its economic growth, pegged at about 9 per cent annually, the country needs to add 75,000 MW of power generation over the next five years.
