India Aims to Invest in Nuclear Power, Decrease Coal Use

An Indian Supreme Court decision which cancels over 200 coal mining permits because they were awarded illegally has pushed the country towards a more nuclear friendly energy policy, according to an article published today by the AFP (via Yahoo News) The Indian government wants to increase nuclear-powered electricity to 25 per cent of the nation’s total energy production by 2050; currently it is only providing 2 per cent.

From the article: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made nuclear a priority as he seeks to fulfil his campaign pledge to kickstart the country’s flagging economy.

“But to succeed, he will need to convince a sceptical public that nuclear is safe, and dispel foreign proliferation concerns to secure the imports of uranium and technology that India needs to produce atomic energy.”

Around 1/3 of India’s population of over 1.2 billion people do not have access to electricity.
