Hailing the Union government's decision to indigenously build 10 atomic reactors, some former top officials of the country's nuclear establishment today said it will bring the country to the "frontline of global nuclear manufacturing".
Former Atomic Energy Commission chairmen Anil Kakodkar, Srikumar Banerjee and R K Sinha, former chairman of Department of Atomic Energy R B Grover and former chairman of Nuclear Power Corporation of India S K Jain said the decision is timely and bold, and will pay far-reaching dividends.
The Union cabinet on May 17 approved installation of 10 Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) of 700 MW each to boost the country's nuclear power production.
"The decision of constructing reactors in a fleet mode is unprecedented in the history of India's atomic energy programme and demonstrates the determined vision of the present government to pursue accelerated expansion of nuclear power to ensure the nation's energy security and to meet India's clean energy commitments," Kakodkar and others said in a statement.
"As a fully indigenous project, the construction of these most modern PHWRs, which are a proud symbol of our scientific and technological excellence, has sent out a strong message of the robustness of our domestic nuclear programme," the statement said.
"It has also created new enthusiasm and optimism among equipment manufacturing industry in India, which is poised to grow in tandem with our programme, bringing India to the frontline of global nuclear manufacturing and supply chain," it added.
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