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India plans five new nuclear reactors this decade, Modi says
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India plans to operationalise five new nuclear reactors this decade and reach 100 GW of nuclear power capacity. Speaking from the Red Fort on Independence Day, he…
The Story in Brief
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India plans to operationalise five new nuclear reactors this decade and reach 100 GW of nuclear power capacity. Speaking from the Red Fort on Independence Day, he said the SHANTI Act had created a framework for the expansion. Modi also cited the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu, which reached criticality this year.
The nuclear push is aimed at reducing exposure to imported energy. India imports nearly 90 per cent of its crude oil and about half its natural gas. The government has approved the Rs 84,084-crore Samudra Manthan scheme for deepwater exploration. Modi said piped cooking gas now reaches 1.75 crore households, while solar capacity has grown to 160 GW from 2 GW a decade ago.
The Indian Opinion
The easy narrative is that five reactors will quickly solve India’s energy insecurity. That overstates what the announcement promises. Nuclear plants take years to build, while India still relies heavily on imported oil and gas. The opposite claim, that nuclear power has no place in the energy mix, is just as narrow. The useful test is whether the five projects receive clear sites, financing and construction timelines before this decade ends.
Source: energy.economictimes.indiatimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
