India advocates nuclear power amid storage challenges

Union power minister R K Singh emphasised the need to build a suitable ecosystem in response to current challenges in storing renewable energy and acknowledged the importance of coal and nuclear energy as interim solutions, given their continuous power generation capabilities

India has the potential to generate upto 100 Giga Watts of power using nuclear source, Union minister for power, new and renewable Energy, R K Singh, said emphasising the need to build a suitable ecosystem in response to current challenges in storing renewable energy.

India, at the 26th session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP 26) in November 2021, announced its target to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2070.

He said that the Indian government (through Solar Energy Corporation of India) invited bids for a battery energy storage system (BESS), hailed as the world’s largest such project, but it did not work out eventually due to the high costs involved.

Singh acknowledged the importance of coal and nuclear energy as interim solutions, given their continuous power generation capabilities.

Talking about the current state of nuclear power in India, the minister said, “We have 7,000 MW of installed nuclear capacity, and we are expanding it to 15,000 MW. We have the capability to further increase it to 50-60 GW or even 100 GW for sustained round-the-clock clean energy generation.”

The Minister emphasised the need to expand nuclear capabilities, stating, “We have less nuclear fuel, and for round-the-clock generation, we must invest in nuclear energy expansion. Our goal is to create a self-sufficient ecosystem that can contribute significantly to India’s energy needs while aligning with global efforts to combat climate change.”

Regarding numerous idle gas-fired power plants in the country, the minister said a cartel is behind the substantial increase in international natural gas prices, posing viability challenges for such power projects to run in the country.

About a large number of gas fired power plants lying idle across the country, the minister said that there is a cartel that is behind the huge hike of natural gas prices in the international markets, making it unviable to gas fired power plants in India.

He urged developed nations, with per capita greenhouse gas emissions two to three times the global average, to decrease their emissions—an issue he proposed to be addressed at the ongoing COP28 or the UN Climate Change Conference. The minister dismissed the phasing out of coal power plants by India as a “diversionary tactic topic” promoted by “anti-development forces,” highlighting that the country has one of the world’s lowest per capita emissions.