India’s nuclear programme needs ‘new adrenalin’: Jairam Ramesh

Much of it remains only on paper, he says

Bangalore:10/11/2014: Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh adressing the Public Lecture on Climate Change and India's Energy Policy in Bengaluru on Monday. Photo: Sampath Kumar G P

India’s nuclear programme needs “new adrenalin”, in order for the country to move towards a low carbon growth path, former Union Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh said at a public lecture on ‘Climate change and India’s energy policy’, organised by The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy and the National Institute of Advanced Studies.

India’s performance in nuclear energy has been “disappointing”.

Even 45 years after the first nuclear power plant at Tarapur became operational, nuclear power still accounts for no more than 3.5 per cent of electricity supply, said Mr. Ramesh, who is Senior Visiting Fellow at

The Hindu centre.

Atomic power plants, unlike conventional coal-based plants, do not emit carbon dioxide — the single biggest contributor to global warming, he said, adding that India accounts for 6 per cent of global greenhouse gases.

However, much of India’s nuclear energy programme remains “only on paper”, and the 2005 Indo-U.S. nuclear agreement “has not much to show for itself” besides India’s procurement of natural uranium from other countries.

Fast-breeder reactor

However, India has become the second country in the world to have a commercial-scale fast-breeder reactor running on a mix of plutonium and uranium oxides.

“India’s logic for the fast-breeder programme is fundamental and impeccable. Without such a programme that uses spent fuel from natural uranium reactors, India will not be able to use its vast reserves of thorium,” Mr. Jairam said.