Nuclear plants to be set up faster: Government

The Indian government is planning to reduce the time frame for setting up nuclear power plants to meet increasing energy demand, Minister of State V. Narayanasamy said Friday.

Speaking at the 5th International Conference on Nuclear Energy here, Narayanasamy said the time frame for setting up a nuclear power plant must come down.

He said as of now, 17 permissions had to be sought from various authorities for setting up a nuclear plant.

The minister said in the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority (NSRA) Bill pending with the parliament, provision has been made to reduce the time for the process from five years to a maximum of two years.

"The country's growth has come down to 5 percent and to increase that energy is the main component. Energy demand has been enormously increasing and solar is expensive," he said.

Reiterating the government's stand on nuclear power, the minister said: "I'd like to assure that our commitment for nuclear power program is unassailable and we will overcome any hurdle that comes up in setting up nuclear power plants in our country."

Seeking the support of industry, Narayanasamy said: "There is a need to educate people about safety of nuclear power plants and I want the industry to convey this message to the people."

Talking about the Kundanakulam nuclear power plant, he informed that within next 6-7 days, the first plant will be approved and about 400 MW production will be coming which will be given in the grid.