By Niranjan Mishra
New Delhi [India], December 21 : Amid the opposition's allegations that the SHANTI bill was passed under pressure from America, foreign expert Robinder Sachdev said that "this bill was long overdue for India to achieve its green energy. This will create the right environment for private operators and vendors."
Robinder Sachdev, who has played a significant role in shaping India's civil nuclear diplomacy with the US and Japan since 2005, said that, "I have been involved in the 123 agreements between the US and India and I was also involved in 123 nuclear agreements between Japan and India. In 2010 India passed the liability bill, the terms of which were that, no foreign or even Indian equipment vendor was agreeable to, even our Indian companies like BHEL and L&T said that they will not be able to work under conditions of that liability bill."
"Including operators like GMR, Tata Power and Reliance Energy, which were contemplating at that time in 2010 entering into nuclear power, backed out. American, Japanese and French companies also withdrew. As a result, the entire nuclear energy sector has been in limbo for the last 15 years, only because of the condition of the 2010 bill. This is the bill which was due for the reform," added Sachdev.
He further stated that, "After this new law, liability will not be passed on to vendors and suppliers in any case of accident. This will create the right environment for private operators and vendors to supply reactors, etc., which is required. The bill was long overdue for India to achieve its green energy. India's target for nuclear energy by 2047 is one hundred gigawatts; now we are generating nearly nine gigawatts only."
Advocating for green energy, Robinder Sachdev said that "Nuclear is a cleaner and safer source of energy, although its upfront cost is higher but its life cycle is longer. A nuclear plant operates for about 70-80 years, whereas a coal plant's life is 30-40 years. With all these benefits for the consumer in mind, it is important that nuclear energy be produced in India. That's why this bill is absolutely right and this should have come much earlier."
On Opposition leader's allegations, Robinder Sachdev said that "they do have a point, that India has made this reform under pressure from America. But I look at this otherwise. The primary reason for this reform is our own national self-interest. We want to use and utilise nuclear energy and our own Indian companies. They would not be able to participate in this sector unless there was reform."
Concluding his views on this issue, Sachdev said that, "after this, nuclear energy will be cheaper than coal energy, and also cleaner. There will be no emission. The benefits therefore be for India."
"We also need investments, so ultimately the bottom line of beneficiaries will be the common man, the consumers," he added.
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