‘Govt creating spectre of energy shortage’

With the Congress and UPA allies describing the deal as an issue of national interest, the statement is seen as an attempt to project that the CPI(M) is not against either the country’s interests or attainment of energy security.

“The Atomic Energy Commission has made clear that we have enough uranium for 10,000 MW of installed capacity against the current capacity of only about 4,000 MW. It appears that the spectre of uranium shortage has been created only to push the deal that is not in India’s national interest,” the CPI(M) statement said.

The party claimed that energy security can be achieved through indigenous resources like coal and argued that the cost of installing nuclear plants using imported reactors is thrice that of coal-fired plants of the same size while the electricity generated is twice as costly than that from coal plants.

“The India-US nuclear deal is not about India’s energy security. Energy security lies in using indigenous energy resources such as coal and ensuring our future energy supplies from Iran and other countries in West and Central Asia,” the party said, again accusing the Government of dragging its feet on the Iran gas pipeline project at the behest of the US.

“Obviously, augmenting indigenous coal production, investing in oil exploration, securing gas supplies through Iran gas pipeline are much more important for India’s energy security than buying imported reactors and importing uranium for such nuclear plants,” it said.

Showing no signs of relenting, it also accused the Congress and UPA Government of mounting a massive disinformation campaign that nuclear energy is a solution not only to the shortage of electricity but also an answer to the oil price rise. “This is nothing but a covert attempt to promote the strategic ties with the US,” it said. “… it (nuclear energy) cannot be used as a substitute for oil, unless government experts have found a new way to burn uranium directly in cars and buses.”