Spanners in India's Energy Ambitions: Negative Perception & Non-Committal Government

Abstract

There is no denying the fact that developing countries, like India, would need energy to feed its development, while at the same time trying to keep in check its carbon emissions. If India intends to increase the living standard of its people, attain increased level of industrialisation and pursue the projects of national importance nuclear energy is an extremely reliable de-carbonised source of energy. The Indian Nuclear energy capacity, however, has not augmented even after the Indo-US nuclear deal. Also, the sluggish growth of the nuclear energy prior to the inking of the landmark Indo-US nuclear deal was attributed to the lack of adequate of financing, technological denial regimes, continued non-availability of uranium at low cost, the limitations of the Indian manufacturing industry and negative public perceptions about nuclear energy. This paper attempts to look into the two main challenges faced by Indian civil nuclear power programme. It attempts to compile various reasons as to why despite the nuclear energy being projected as one of the main energy sources since the inception of the Indian nuclear programme, the rise of nuclear energy has lacked progress.

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.4318564