India foresees sharp rise in its nuclear power

India, whose nuclear pariah status ended last year, could obtain 50 percent of its power from atomic energy by 2050, the country’s nuclear chief said in an interview published Wednesday.

India, which emerged from decades of nuclear isolation in 2008 when it signed a civilian technology supply agreement with the United States, now gets less than three percent of its energy needs from atomic power.
The proportion of nuclear power by 2050 could well be around 50 percent — 600-700 gigawatts — if we successfully bring to bear the indigenous capability,” Anil Kakodkar, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, was quoted as saying by the magazine Asian Nuclear Energy.

Up to now, India has said it expected to get around 25 percent of its energy from nuclear power by mid-century.

Kakodkar, however, predicted the 25 percent target would be hit by 2020.

India, with a population of nearly 1.2 billion, currently relies on imported oil for about 70 percent of its energy needs.

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