India requests states to consider nuclear power plants and list of power utilities

The Indian federal power minister asked on Tuesday that states without coal resources consider building nuclear power plants. He also listed the utilities who could help meet the growing demand for power.

In its budget for this year, the Indian government proposed to work with private companies to develop small reactors in order to increase electricity produced from sources without carbon dioxide emissions.

According to a government announcement, Manohar lal, India's energy minister, said that states should consider building nuclear power plants on the sites of coal-based thermal plants which have reached the end of their useful life.

India's strict nuclear compensation laws have hindered talks with foreign power plants builders, such as General Electric or Westinghouse.

The country's nuclear power capacity is currently 8 gigawatts, but it aims to reach 20 GW in 2032.

The Minister also requested that the states identify and list their power utilities on the stock exchange of the country to meet the increasing demand for investment in the energy sector, as well as improving the transmission system in order to add more renewable power.

India has committed to achieving a net-zero carbon emission target by the year 2070, and has set a goal of 500 GW renewable energy by the year 2030. (Reporting and editing by Maju Sam; Sethuraman N.R.)

(source: Reuters)