'Potential of nuclear energy should be tapped'

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, JULY 27. Stressing the need for nuclear energy to tide over the country's increasing power needs, the former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, Dr. Raja Ramanna, today said that the potential of nuclear energy in the country should be harnessed. However, certain vested interests were not allowing the growth of nuclear technology in India.

Dr. Raja Ramanna was speaking here at the Fourth Foundation Day Lecture on "The future of atomic energy" organised by the University of Mysore. He said the political forces had run down the positive aspects of nuclear energy generation, which had forced the public to perceive only the harmful negative aspects of the technology.

Stating that Indian nuclear technology was absolutely independent, he said the development of nuclear technology for peaceful purposes would prevent the Western countries from "dominating" the country. A prototype of a thermal breeding reactor was ready at Kalpakkam. The vast Thorium reserves available in the country could be harnessed. He said the country's Thorium reserves were four lakh tonnes which could be used to generate energy equivalent to that generated by 600 billion tonnes of coal.

Dr. Raja Ramanna said that the annual increase in demand for power was 10,000 MW, which could be met through the use of nuclear energy. There was also an ambitious plan to add 10,000 MW of nuclear energy over the next 10 years to the grid. He suggested that a smaller fast-breeder reactor using Thorium would be ideal for the country's needs.

Referring to the acute power crisis in the State of California in the U.S., he said even the U.S. was now contemplating the use of potential nuclear energy. The champions of anti-nuclear energy were themselves thinking of using nuclear energy as a viable alternative.

Dismissing reports that the dependence on nuclear technology for harnessing power was decreasing following threats to human life, he said a recent report indicated that dependence on it had actually increased in Western countries. In fact, 80 per cent of the power generated in France was through nuclear energy, which had reduced the dependence on other sources such as coal and petroleum.

However, the developed countries had brought pressure on developing countries to prevent nuclear energy from being used for peaceful purposes thereby obstructing the path of development. He said this was due to the attitude of the Western countries, which thought they alone were responsible for the welfare of mankind. "Nuclear politics" of weapon had stalled the progress of many countries.

Comparing the energy generated by hydel power and coal with that of uranium, he said that a large amount of energy could be produced with a limited quantity of uranium. While thermal energy consumed a large quantity of coal and caused large-scale pollution, nuclear energy could be generated without caused pollution.

On the issue of nuclear weaponisation, Dr. Raja Ramanna said that unless the number of weapons in the arsenal was reduced, the threat to mankind would persist. The actions of NATO were also adding to the tension.

He said that to be better off in nuclear weaponisation, fresh testing was not required any more as increased computing power had reduced the necessity for more such tests. India had declared a moratorium on nuclear blasts voluntarily and not under any pressure from Western countries.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Mysore, Prof. S.N.Hegde and the Registrar, Prof. R Shanthraj, along with a host of academicians were present.

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