Why Say No To Nuclear Power?: Dhirendra Sharma

INDIA'S NUCLEAR EXPANSION

Dr. Dhirendra Sharma, Director of Science Policy Centre, is the author of India’s Nuclear Estate

He can be contacted at-
“Nirmal-Nilay,” Dehradun 248009. +91-9897883741
Email:
dhiren.sharma32@gmail.com

The fundamentalist argument is that there is no alternative to nuclear power to meet the energy deficit of 150,000 MWe. by 2030.n At best it is 50 year old presumption.In 1950s, when it was hoped to turn the Atoms for War into the Atoms of Peace, Homi J. Bhabha, the founder of Department of Atomic Energy, had assumed that “the Nuclear power would be so cheap that we need not to meter.” He had hoped 10,000 MW electricity generation by 1960. But the Department of Atomic Energy ‘s official Reports (1970), promised 10,000 MWe by 2000. Today, ( 2011), however, total installed capacity is just about 4000 MWe., whereas the DAE draws almost this much power from the national grid to run its entire nuclear establishments.

As the Prime Minister is always the Minister of Atomic Energy. the Man Mohan Singh government had now ventured to serve the nation with
30 ,000 MW nuclear power by 2030. So, the government had, without necessary technical and financial assessments, entered into Nuclear Deals with the U.S., and the French giant Areva. And New Delhi planned to install 6×1650 MW, ready-made defective and untested, imported reactors, at a cost of $ 150 billions US dollars.

Today, with a futuristic public policy perspective, the most relevant ...............