Japan disaster deals blow to India’s nuclear plans
14 Mar 2011
Japan's worst nuclear accident in at least 33 years has compelled China and India to review plans for atomic energy that were set to provide a boon for suppliers including Areva SA and General Electric Co.
The potential meltdown at a nuclear plant struck by Japan's record temblor may be ''a big dampener'' on India's programme, Shreyans Kumar Jain, chairman of the Nuclear Power Corp of India, which operates all the nuclear plants in the country, said in Mumbai.
India plans to spend $175 billion by 2030 on nuclear generation while China is adding 27 reactors in five years as the two most-populous nations seek cleaner energy sources to propel economic growth.
''The event of Japan will be reviewed in detail ... resulting out of such a review, any reinforcement as needed would be implemented,'' a late-night statement from NPCIL said.
NPCIL has sought details about the accident from the World Association of Nuclear Operators, the International Atomic Energy Agency and its own official stationed in Tokyo, Jain said. ''This event may be a big dampener for our programme,'' Jain told Bloomberg in a telephone interview on Sunday. ''We and the department of atomic energy will definitely revisit the entire thing, including our new reactor plans, after we receive more information from Japan.''
Indian reactors at Kakrapar in western Gujarat and Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu survived an earthquake in 2001 and a tsunami in 2004 without any safety scares, Jain said. ''But that doesn't mean we can be happy,'' he added. ''Our new launches will have to keep in mind public sentiment and naturally this process won't happen overnight.''
