Nuclear deal to meet 5 pc of energy needs: Yechury

Shimla, Dec 18: Continuing with its opposition to the nuclear deal with the US, the CPM today said it will only meet five to six per cent of the country's energy needs, while jeopardising its national interests.

''Besides, meeting only five to six per cent of the country's energy needs, the nuclear energy will cost a sum of Rs 11 crore per MW as against Rs three crore each for power generation by water and coal,'' party's politburo member Sitaram Yechury said at a press conference here. He said generation of 40,000 MW of energy during the next few years would cost only Rs 90,000 crore through water and coal as against a whopping Rs 3,30,000 crore by nuclear means.

''The extra money thus saved could very easily be channelised on setting up 2.50 lakh Navodaya Schools and 2,000 hospitals across the country,'' Mr Yechury said. He said since the country had enough coal reserves to last another 70 years, generating power through it would be more viable then going in for nuclear energy that would be too costly for the country.

Buying nuclear reactors from the US for meeting energy needs only would not be in the country's interests as it would affect out foreign policy too, he added. UNI