( By Lakshmi Pendyala ) [Approx. Read Time: 1.5 minutes]
As Nuclear energy is gaining momentum worldwide, the world’s largest democracy and the world’s oldest democracy, India and the United States have announced co-operation in building nuclear plants and exchanging of technology.
Being originally from India, it is particularly pleasing for me to note that Indian government has welcomed US reactors. This announcement is an outcome of Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton’s recent discussions with Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh. India has picked two sites for nuclear plant construction, one in Andhra Pradesh and other in Gujarat. (See: Link)
[On a personal note, Andhra Pradesh is my home state and it warms my heart to learn that it is one of the first state governments to make an offer to the centre.]
India has been largely excluded from nuclear trade for about 34 years for being outside the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. This has hindered its development of civil nuclear energy. The new agreement with US and France to welcome nuclear trade is a phenomenal step which will aid substantially in meeting the country’s ever increasing demand for electricity.
The agreement will also pave path for export of India’s indigenous nuclear technology. Due to the trade bans and shortage of uranium, India has uniquely been developing a nuclear fuel cycle to exploit its reserves of thorium.
During the inauguration of India’s first indigenous nuclear submarine on 26th July 2009, Director of the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) Sreekumar Banerjee said, “India has to go for atomic energy along with non-conventional sources of energy like wind power and solar energy as more dependence on thermal power would result in excessive carbon dioxide emission. India can’t do without nuclear energy.”
For further news, follow the links:
http://www.newsday.com/news/world/india-may-allow-u-s-to-build-nuclear-power-plants-1.1308110
http://www.yournuclearnews.com/sites+for+us+nuclear+in+india_36025.html
Lakshmi,I’m sure you saw the update from 7/26/09 at Idaho Samizdat recounting the good news about the Andhra Pradesh build but did you also note the French and Russian gains in market share while the US State Department squabbles with certain Indian government officials? India is an ally and we treat them poorly, IMHO.
Thanks for the comment, Dr. Ulseth. Yes, I read on Idaho Samizdat blog about the prolonged discussions on spent fuel management between India and US. Having taken the initiative to sign a nuclear deal with India back in October 2008, the delay in reaching a conclusion has given advantage to Russia and France.
Nevertheless, looking back at the trade ban 30 years ago, the current market scenario looks very positive. Hopefully, the future has a better share in store.
Lakshmi, just so you know, I am in the solar energy/panel field (installations for residential and commercial) and, hopefully in the manufacturing end, too. That being said, I have long been intrigued with atomic power and am a strong proponent of its superiority for base-load power. The more I read about the newer designs - LFTR, IFR, PBMR, Hyperion, NuScale, B&W mPower, Toshiba 4S - the more impressed I am with nuclears’ ability to provide the energy needed to supply not just electricity but also to power desalinization (sp) processes, fresh water condensation systems and other industrial uses.
While I don’t agree with all that Jim Holm espouses at coal2nuclear.com, I appreciate his thinking and the goal - reduce/eliminate burning of carbon-based fuels for electricity (more from the standpoint of particulates and inefficiencies compared to atomic heat) - and the calculations seem pretty well-thought-out.
India’s nuclear path will not be without roadblocks and bottlenecks considering the prohibitive and escalating costs of nuclear power plants.
For burgeoning economies like India and China, nuclear power more often than not, seems to be the only choice for base load power. However, it is imperative that they do not neglect development of a diverse mix.