Union Minister of State for Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh on Sunday (9 April) said that nearly 9 per cent share of electricity is likely to be contributed from India’s nuclear sources by the year 2047, when the country celebrates 100 years of independence.
Speaking after a review meeting with senior scientists from the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai, Singh highlighted that the contribution of nuclear power will bring the country closer to achieving its net zero target by 2070.
Singh also shared that the Department of Atomic Energy has set an additional target of reaching 20 GW capacity of nuclear power generation by 2030, which would place India as the third-largest producer of atomic energy in the world, after the USA and France.
The Union Minister credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for approving 10 reactors in fleet mode in a single order and allowing nuclear installations to be developed under joint ventures with Public Sector Undertakings (PSUs).
According to the minister, India is currently the sixth largest country in the world in the number of reactors that are functional, and second largest in the total number of reactors including those under construction.
Singh said, one hallmark of the Modi regime is that for the first time, in a big way, the atomic energy is being used for applications in diverse sectors like, for example, for increasing shelf life of fruits like apple and agriculture products, for using latest technologies in treatment of Cancer and other diseases etc.
India has shown the world the way for using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, he added.