NTPC set to make a shift to nuclear power
Driven by the government’s plan to phase out all fossil fuel-based energy generation by 2070, the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) is set to make a shift to nuclear power, said Dr CK Asnani, chairman and managing director of the Uranium Corporation of India Limited on Monday.
Dr Asnani, in his address at the Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology (RRCAT) on the occasion of Dr Homi Bhabha Day, underscored the vital role of nuclear energy in environmental sustainability, highlighting its dual significance in revenue generation and environmental preservation.
“Today, if you see, going nuclear is the only way forward. The National Thermal Power Corporation of India is going absolutely nuclear; the government has given them a deadline until 2070 to close down all generation from fossil sources. Going nuclear is not just about revenue generation but also about preserving the environment,” Dr Asnani said.
Dr Asnani also shed light on the role of India’s nuclear energy programme and the goals set by Dr Homi J Bhabha. He emphasised the multifaceted benefits that India’s nuclear prowess has brought to the nation, spanning crucial sectors such as electricity, healthcare, strategic defence, and environmental sustainability.
He said that there are four critical imperatives that have guided India’s nuclear trajectory. First, the indispensable link between electricity and national progress. “India’s initial electricity generation capacity of a mere 1300-1400 megawatts in 1950 has soared to 4.75 lakh megawatts today; thus, nuclear power was important for the nation’s development after British rule,” said Dr Asnani. Second, Dr Asnani highlighted India’s strategic imperative to develop nuclear capabilities, citing the end of World War II with the nuclear bombings at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, compelling Japan’s surrender to the USA. Dr Asnani emphasized that India’s pursuit of nuclear arms was essential for its security and stability. He noted the vital role of nuclear deterrence in averting a potential third world war.
He discussed medical advancement, which included the role of nuclear medicine, and environmental sustainability as the third and fourth factors guiding the shift towards nuclear energy.
