Abdullah bats for nuclear energy to fulfill India's needs

New Delhi: New and Renewable Energy Minister Farooq Abdullah today batted for nuclear energy till the country attains full potential in tapping renewable energy resources. “India is moving forward. India needs energy. Therefore, please forgive us. We have to use nuclear energy till renewable energy comes up to such a level that we are able to dispense with fossil fuels and nuclear energy,” he said during the inaugural session of Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2014. [caption id=“attachment_1377239” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Union Minister Farooq Abdullah. Image courtesy PIB[/caption] His statements comes at a time when anti-nuclear protests are up in arms against the government’s move to set up nuclear facilities in different parts of the country. He rued that around 40 percent of people in India do not have access to energy while there are others who still do not have access to safe drinking water. “If you look at today’s newspaper, it will show you that adulteration is taking place in food….All this is because of man’s greed,” the minister said. Pitching for renewable energy, Abdullah maintained that the huge sum spent on gaining fossil fuels for the country’s energy needs could be used for providing better drinking water, education and hospitals. “India spends 80 percent on getting fossil fuels. The money could be used for making available drinking water, better roads, better hospitals and education. Here is a challenge for all us. Let us work together for improving renewable energy,” Abdullah said. The minister said his ministry had in 2010 started the Jawaharlal Nehru Solar Mission and hoped to generate 30,000 MW of power through solar energy by 2017. “The prime minister wanted us to develop 1 lakh MW of power from solar energy by 2017. We looked at it in my department and we thought it was not possible. So we changed the date to 2027,” he said. The ministry was also developing energy through wind and biomass besides looking at offshore energy resources. “In wind power, we are number five in the world. We are now going offshore. There are nations who have great expertise. We will call on them to help us in developing this energy. Similarly, we are developing biomass,” Abdullah said. The three-day summit will see participation of eminent speakers including former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and a host of diplomats, ministers and ex-ministers from various countries. The theme of this year’s Summit is “Attaining Food, Water, and Energy Security For All”. The summit will also have different plenary sessions and exhibition where exhibitors from across the world are demonstrating their environment friendly technologies and innovations. PTI