new delhi (agencies)
Making a strong case for the Indo-US civil nuclear deal facing stiff opposition from the Left, former President APJ Abdul Kalam yesterday said the country is dependent heavily on nuclear power in the future for which it will need the uranium supplies that the pact will facilitate.
’’We need the uranium supply and definitely the pact is important if we want to meet the target of nuclear energy’s contribution in the total energy production,’’ Kalam said.
He was speaking at a function in the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai.
Kalam, who had played a key role in Pokhran II, said, ’’currently we have an installed capacity of only 3,900 MW which the Department of Atomic Energy plans to take to 7,160 MW by 2012 and to 24,000 MW by 2020.
’’Our uranium reserves are limited. We will need a certain amount of uranium to attain the next stage in the fuel cycle producing energy on thorium which is available in abundance in India,’’ the noted scientist said.

Last update on: 12-5-2008