NEW DELHI: With India is exploring multiple options to lower its carbon footprints, the government on Tuesday said the country would produce three times more nuclear from its current level and called for greater India-US cooperation for clean energy sectors such as biofuels and hydrogen.
The issue of ramping up efforts to produce more nuclear power in the next 10 years was discussed in a meeting of junior minister in the PMO and minister of state (atomic energy) Jitendra Singh with the US delegation led by the country’s visiting deputy secretary of energy, David M Tuck.
Singh informed the delegation that India will produce more than three times nuclear power and its installed capacity is expected to reach 22,480 MW by 2031 from the current 6,780 MW as more nuclear power plants are also planned in future.
The move will help India substantially increase its share of non-fossil fuel in total energy mix in sync with its pledges under the Paris Agreement. Though India’s share of installed capacity of non-fossil fuel-based electricity generation has already reached nearly 39% of its total power generation capacity against its existing target of 40% by 2030, the steps towards nuclear energy would help it upgrade its climate action goals.
Singh during the meeting called for greater US-India cooperation in the field of clean and green energy and reiterated India’s commitment to promote atomic/nuclear programmes for proving not only a major source of clean energy but also as a major tool of application in areas like healthcare and agriculture sector.
Both sides also discussed revamping their strategic partnership to focus on clean energy sectors, such as biofuels and hydrogen, aligning it with the ‘India-US Climate and Clean Energy Agenda 2030 Partnership’ which was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and American President Joe Biden at the leaders’ summit on climate in April.
Source: Times of India