Experts see bigger role for nuclear energy to attain sustainability goals

The Hindu

2 days ago

Experts who addressed a recent workshop have advocated for exploring an expanding role for civilian nuclear power in India's clean energy transition and meeting its sustainability targets.
The speakers were participating in the 'National Workshop on Advances in Nuclear Energy for Sustainable Environment (NWANESE-2025) held under the auspices of the Pondicherry University's Department of Green Energy Technology with the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Kalpakkam, under UNESCO Chair initiative.
They called for increasing use of nuclear energy domain for energy diversification and fulfilling the nation's sustainability objectives, particularly in the context of climate change.
Presiding over the inaugural, Pondicherry University Vice-Chancellor P. Prakash Babu underscored the crucial importance of nuclear safety, the need for increasing public awareness, and the vital societal applications of nuclear technologies.
B. M. Jaffar Ali, Dean (i/c), MSGET, highlighted the synergies between nuclear, hydroelectric, solar, and wind power sources to ensure India's energy security and progress toward decarbonisation.
A panel of nuclear scientists and experts from IGCAR, including T. Rajkumar, Ram Kumar Maity, S. Tripurasundari, Sanjay Kumar Das, C. V. Srinivas, and S. Chandrasekaran delivered technical talks over sessions.
R. Arun Prasath, Head and UNESCO Chairholder, stressed the urgency of climate action and outlining India's clean energy roadmap. The Government of India's Nuclear Energy Mission under 'Viksit Bharat 2047,' aims to scale up nuclear capacity from 8 GW to 100 GW by 2047, he said.
Mr. Arun said the country's India's energy transition is guided by a multifaceted commitment to sustainability and climate responsibility. Noting that India had made remarkable progress in green energy, now obtaining nearly 35% of its energy from renewable sources—well above the global average, he said the country faced rapidly growing energy demands while aiming to generate 500 GW of non- carbon-based energy by 2030.
As part of its global climate commitments, India has pledged to meet 50% of its total energy requirements from renewable and clean sources, and has submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to reduce carbon emission intensity by 35% by 2030, compared to 2005 levels. This was in addition to the commitment to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2070.
France Marquet, Principal Trustee, Madanjeet Singh Foundation and Benno Boer of the UNESCO Regional Office, New Delhi, shared their messages for the event.
The event brought together more than 300 participants including faculty members, scientists, research scholars, and UG/PG students, the press note said.