India on Thursday said it has raised it nuclear energy production target to 60,000 megawatts by 2030, from the earlier target of 20,000 mw by 2020.
This upward revision of the target is being done after taking into account the pending nuclear deals with more nations, as well as the plan to separate the civilian nuclear programmes from the strategic programmes and a possible amendment of the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 to allow private players to participate in the civil nuclear programme.
?It is our expectation to achieve generation of 60,000 mw of nuclear energy by 2030. The earlier target was 20,000 mw by 2020. The expectation has been increased with the kind of opportunities we are having now with more N-deals coming up for signing,? Shyam Saran, special envoy to Prime Minister on the nuclear deal, told reporters here.
Saran said not only was there a letter of intent for generation of 10,000 mw of nuclear power in collaboration with the US, but also India has reached an agreement with Russia, France and Kazakhstan on an N-deal. ?There are a large number of players and the capacity is going to be large,? he said.
What has been preventing the private companies from taking part in the civilian nuclear energy programmes was the intertwining of India?s strategic and civilian nuclear programmes for the last four decades, the special envoy said.
?Now India has prepared a separation plan, which would be completed by 2014. Until a complete separation takes place, bringing in private sector may create certain difficulty,? he said.
He also added that the Centre would soon amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1962 to ensure that private companies are able to take part in the civil nuclear programme.