A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science and Technology, Environment, Forests and Climate Change reviewed India's nuclear power programme and discussed strategies to strengthen the country's nuclear energy capacity as part of its long-term clean energy transition.

Officials from the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) highlighted the present scenario of nuclear power production and future growth in nuclear power generation. The talks centered around the increase in the share of nuclear power generation in a bid to realize India’s goal of becoming net-zero emission by 2070.

The panel considered various options for speeding up the development of nuclear power along with the development of renewable energy sources including that of solar energy. Members also discussed the issue of fuel availability needed to be sorted out by utilizing the abundant thorium deposits of India.

Medha Vishram Kulkarni, Chairperson of the committee, stated that the discussion at the committee included India's nuclear energy programs and plans for reactors in the future. She added that the discussion was also centered around addressing issues associated with the availability of fuel and reduction of carbon emissions.

The timing of this review is appropriate considering that India is developing its nuclear energy program at the moment. This year, India’s indigenous PFBR (Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor) of 500 MW in Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu reached criticality, which marks the beginning of the second phase of the three-phase nuclear power program of India. When commercializsd, India would become the second country to possess a fast breeder reactor, after Russia.

Nuclear power in India will increase in the future as it is considered an effective form of creating energy in addition to renewable energy sources. There will be an increased dependency on nuclear power in the future owing to the increasing energy needs and climate change.

The discussions held by the committee would be of great importance for formulating future policies that would help in increasing the production of nuclear power, building technical capacities, and transforming India into a more sustainable country.