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4 weeks ago
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ARTICLE AD BOX
Summary
As India's Shanti Bill dusts off a long-stalled nuclear expansion project, easing liability rules may be the only way to meet an ambitious 2047 target. Nuclear safety, though, must absorb lessons from Chernobyl and Fukushima.
Nearly two decades ago, India’s then government had staked its Lok Sabha majority on a deal with the US that would enable a ramp-up of nuclear energy. It won its confidence vote, but that high-stakes clean-power project remained a damp squib.
Now, the Centre is ready for another go, aimed at taking capacity from under 9GW to 100GW by 2047.
A proposed law looks set to scrap restraints, allow private participation and attract foreign reactor suppliers deterred by their legal liability burden in case of an accident; as reported, the bill may relieve suppliers of that risk exposure.
A cap on what operators of nuclear plants would be liable to pay, however, demands debate. It must not scare off private players, but it should be steep enough to incentivize tight control of radiation risks.
Also, regulation must insist on real-time data feeds. Bad news must invariably reach top authorities instantly—a key lesson from the Chernobyl meltdown of 1986. The risk of regulatory capture must be kept minimal, as we learnt in 2011 from Fukushima.
As the climate crisis tilts India’s energy mix away from fossil fuels to generate electricity, nuclear-safety protocols need to become super-strict.
English (US) ·