Seaside station: Fishermen tethering a boat on the shore near the Madras Atomic Power Station at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu. — AP
PARLIAMENT has passed legislation to open nuclear power generation to private companies as part of the government’s ambitious plan to nearly triple clean energy production within six years.
India is the third-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, and remains deeply dependent on coal, which accounts for 75% of the country’s total power generation, to meet its soaring energy demand.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the legislation “marks a transformational moment for our technology landscape” and also opens “numerous opportunities” for the private sector.
“From safely powering AI to enabling green manufacturing, it delivers a decisive boost to a clean-energy future for the country and the world,” Modi said in a statement, adding this was “the ideal time to invest, innovate and build in India”.
India emitted 4.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent – a measure of all planet-warming greenhouse gases – in 2024, according to the UN, behind only China and the United States.
India has committed to net-zero emissions by 2070, and is on track to meet and exceed its pledge to reduce emission intensity by 45% from 2005 levels by 2030.
Nuclear-armed India is not a signatory to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.
The new legislation is dubbed “SHANTI” – peace in Hindi – an acronym for Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India. — AFP
