Indian N-power push to slow down post-Fukushima disaster: US

Lalit K Jha
Washington, Apr 27 (PTI) Indian efforts to boost
energy production by pushing for civilian nuclear power in a
big way is likely to slow down in the aftermath of the nuclear
accident at the quake-stricken Fukushima reactor in Japan, a
top US official has said.
"I think there probably realistically will be a little
bit of a slowdown, but I agree with what the (Indian) Prime
Minister said, that this is still very much in India's
interest to proceed with these projects and it is likely to do
so," Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia
Robert Blake told the Knowledge @ Wharton in an interview.
"What's most important from our perspective is that
the two governments have done almost all that we need to do to
allow the companies to then make the decisions about whether
they want to go forward with this or not," he said.
"In India's case, it signed the Convention on
Supplementary Compensation and is now committed to ratifying
that within a year from November. As far as we know, that
remains on track and that remains their intention," he said.
"Then at that point it will be up to the companies to
undertake these contract negotiations and of course they will
make their own decisions about this and I think what's
happened in Japan will affect those to a certain extent. But
it's hard for me, I'm not really an expert to gauge to what
extent that will happen," he said.
From India's perspective, he said, they have a strong
interest in diversifying their energy supplies and to access
clean energies as much as possible.
Not just renewables, but also nuclear energy.
So again, there's a very strong upside for India as
well, he argued.
"But there will have to be a good, honest discussion
about the safety issues. I know you have such an open society
in India already that in a way that debate is already
happening. There have been demonstrations in several of the
nuclear plants, and I know that the Lok Sabha and others will
be looking closely at this issue," Blake said.
"Again, that's a good thing. That's what should happen
after a calamity like this, is that people take a hard look so
that in fact what we’re doing makes sense and is in our
interest," he said.