Independent nuclear authority bill to be introduced in Parliament soon: Govt

NEW DELHI: A bill towards formation of an independent nuclear regulatory authority will be introduced in ensuing monsoon session of the Parliament, minister of state at the prime minister’s office V Narayanasamy said on Thursday.

The government has decided to make the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board more autonomous and independent in its decision-making, he told a conference organised by an industry body.

The new authority will be backed with a strong legal framework and address concerns in many quarters following the March 11 Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear accident in Japan, he said.

He said nuclear power generation is likely to total 30,000 million units in 2011-12. Five more reactors are under construction to generate 10,000-mw of power, Narayanasamy said. “The country is also poised for starting work on first set of reactors along coastal sites in cooperation with the United States, Russia and France,” he said

"UPA II is committed to implement the ambitious nuclear energy capacity programme inspite of the criticism," Narayanasamy said.

Nearly 40% of households in India do not have electricity. Of the total 1,70,000 mw installed capacity, 65% is thermal and only 3% is generated by nuclear plants.