Kalam for 5-fold increase in renewable energy

Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu), Sept 22: President A P J Abdul Kalam today suggested that steps should be taken to increase power generation through renewable energy technologies to 25 per cent from the present five per cent and capacity addition for nuclear energy so as to achieve the ambitious goal of ''energy independence by the year 2030.

Interacting with the scientists of the Russian-assisted Nuclear Power Project in Tirunelveli district, the President said the power generating capacity in the country should be increased to 400,000 MW by 2030 from the existing 130,000 MW.

Energy independence has be achieved through three different sources namely hydel capacity, nuclear power and non-conventional energy sources primarily through solar energy, apart from thermal power. The hydel capacity generated through normal water sources and inter-linking of rivers was expected to contribute an additional 50,000 MW. The nuclear power plants should have a target of 50,000 MW of power. Large scale solar energy farms of hundreds of MWs megawatts capacity in certain number could contribute around 55,000 MW of power.

The remaining 115,000 MW has to be generated through the conventional thermal power plants through coal, gas and other renewable sources of energy like wind power, biomass, power through municipal waste and solar thermal power, he added.

Pointing out that presently the total nuclear power generation capcity in the country was 3,900 MW using 16 nuclear reactors, he expressed the hope that the first 2 X 100 MW nuclear plant using pressurised heavy water at Kudankulam would become critical in time during next year.

He said India had only limited uranium resources where as there was a plently of thorium material available in the coutnry. ''Hence, the focus of our nuclear scientists in the coming years has to be in the development of thorium-based nuclear power plants,'' he added.

Stating that fast breeder reactors could make a significant contribution to India's energy requirments, Dr Kalam urged the scientists to give priority in their research to develop metallic fuel that gives much higher breeding ratio than plutonium in oxide form. ''It is only after we have established enough fast reactor capcity that we can shift to thorium-based systems and continue to get power from thorium reactors for a long time.'' He pointed out that India's nuclear programme had always been under technological denials for decades from many countries.

''Every one of the nuclear scientists and science leaders realised that the self-reliance is the most promising route.'' He said nuclear scientists had always shown the country how nuclear technology could be used for increasing the agricultural produce, medical application and nuclear power generation.

UNI