Civil nuclear co-operations brighten India’s atomic energy prospects

The Dollar Business Bureau Civil nuclear cooperations with a number of countries have brightened India’s prospects in the field of atomic energy, said Jitendra Singh, Minister of State, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). India is going through one of the best times in the field of nuclear energy as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visits to various countries “have helped us in building civil nuclear cooperation with those countries”, said the minister. He highlighted the agreement signed between India and Canada during the PM’s visit to Canada, under which Canada has agreed to supply 3,000 tonnes of uranium to India over the next five years. Similarly, in line with the Make in India vision, an agreement was also signed between India and AREVA— the French multi-national in nuclear energy— during the PM’s visit to France, he added. The minister was speaking at the National Conference on Nuclear Energy organized by Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ASSOCHAM) in New Delhi. In his address at the inaugural session, the minister said that the government is gathering all resources to make the 9,900-MW Jaitapur nuclear power plant in Maharashtra as one of the most glorious atomic energy establishments. “There are a lot of misgivings and we are looking at that plant very ambitiously. The entire atomic energy department is focused on that. We are trying to gather all the resources to make it one of the most glorious atomic energy establishments. But again, these misgivings have come up,” he added. The minister called for the need to create awareness among public on the non-malignant advantages of the atomic energy. “There are a lot of non-malignant advantages of atomic energy - it is environment friendly, climate friendly, and these things are evidently very clear. And if we are not able to convince our people and a plant like that in Jaitapur is still suffering from certain hiccups, perhaps, again the fault lies with us,” the minister said. “We have failed or we have not been able to propagate the facts as vigorously and aggressively as we ought to have done,” he added. Expressing hope that the share of nuclear energy in total power generation in India will increase, the minister also said that the country has rich reserves of thorium and can even take lead in this area in future.    

May 16, 2015 | 4:47 pm IST.