A long-term fission

These facts are particularly relevant at this juncture, when India must urgently invest in energy-generation technologies to meet the increasing energy requirements of a growing population and a buoyant economy. According to World Bank estimates, energy demand in India will grow at 5.3 per cent per annum in the first decade of the 21st century and by 10 per cent by 2020. In case this demand is not met, the loss to India8217;s economy would be huge because electricity today powers the nation8217;s economic progress.

Over the years, development of energy efficiency technologies, and emphasis on renewable energy sources tried to bridge the gap between electricity supply and demand. However, no substantive success is possible unless new generation capacities are added to meet the tremendous growth in demand. But these capacities must meet the challenge of being not just efficient, secure, cost-effective and safe, but also environmentally sustainable. Thermal power plants coal, oil and gas, for instance, pose the problem of greenhouse gas GHG emissions that cannot be wished away despite technological improvements.

Hence, the need to accept nuclear power, which meets all these requisites, as an important component of the country8217;s energy mix. Of course, nuclear power plants are capital-intensive with long gestation periods, but their operational and fuel costs are relatively less and hence, the economics of nuclear power works out better. In fact, its cost-effectiveness is enhanced by the fact that India has overcome the teething problems faced during indigenisation of the technology until mid-8217;80s.

For India, the economics of nuclear power becomes even more attractive because its long-term strategy envisages an exploitation of its vast thorium reserves. The Indian nuclear power programme was formulated along three stages linking the fuel cycles of a Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor PHWR to a Fast Breeder Reactor FBR with the use of thorium eventually in the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor AHWR. This strategy was devised for the judicious use of our limited uranium ore, estimated to be at 78,000 tonnes or 0.8 per cent of the world resources, and the vast thorium reserves at 360,000 tonnes.

It is clear that nuclear power does have inherently unique advantages. But in order to reap these, it is necessary that at the government level, it is accepted as a vital component of the national energy and environmental policy. This will then be reflected in the funding available for R038;D.

Also, the government must use every forum to project India as a unique case that needs to be freed from the shackles of technology-denial regimes. India will be the energy-demand heartland of the world in the coming decades. Its ability to meet this demand will have huge consequences for world economy. But even more significantly, how this demand is met will determine the state of the global environment. In any case, India is already a state with nuclear weapons and the fear of proliferation is misplaced. Its nuclear export policy is well-legislated and executed. India8217;s record as a nuclear exporter is better than many other nuclear suppliers.

Meanwhile, at the level of the domestic nuclear industry, we must undertake the following steps:

8226; Simplify and standardise nuclear reactors designs in order to reduce system complexities, enhance operator-friendliness, easy maintainability and thereby reduce costs and increase operational efficiency.

8226; Build a larger number of successive units with one-time commitment and standardised design to reduce manufacturing cycles, costs.

8226; Reduce the gestation period for nuclear power projects through improved planning ahead of construction and by streamlining clearances from AERB, MOEF etc.

8226; Match power plant expansion with simultaneous augmentation of other fuel cycle facilities.

8226; Maintain high level of scientific research and synergy with technology.

Public awareness about the excellent safety ratings of nuclear plants in India also needs to be increased. Greater transparency of issues related to nuclear waste management and highlighting facts like that nuclear energy produces less than 1.2 per cent of waste by weight than the best competing fuel, natural gas, would increase public acceptability.

The writer is senior fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies