Why India needs to ramp up nuclear power: All you need to know

Is expansion of the nuclear sector - with high capital expenditure and a high tariff (initially) - justified in the Indian context at a time of stress in the power sector?

The Fukushima incident in 2011 led to abrupt suspension of Japan’s nuclear power plants. However, the Japanese Cabinet approved the Fifth Basic Energy Plan in July 2018 calling for nuclear energy to account for 20-22 per cent of power generation by 2030. Nuclear power will remain a substantial part of the energy portfolio of the United States (20 per cent) and the European Union (20 per cent). China has an energy profile similar to India’s, with coal having a pre-dominant share. It is aiming to increase the share of nuclear power from two per cent currently to 10 per cent