The Hindu : Opinion / Letters to the Editor : On nuclear power

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Tuesday, Oct 09, 2007
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Opinion - Letters to the Editor

On nuclear power

The article “Why India should opt for nuclear power” (Oct. 5) claims that France’s per capita carbon emission is less than that of other European countries. But this is not because of nuclear power but because of the better public transport system and the social consciousness not to use private vehicles indiscriminately.

The cost of nuclear energy cannot be as low as claimed by the author if the cost of decommissioning nuclear plants is taken into consideration. If we want to generate more energy, we should explore newer areas such as wind energy, solar energy and bio-diesel. And if we are seriously concerned about carbon emissions, we should improve our public transport system and streamline the plying of private vehicles.

P. Mohamed Shafi,

Pallikkal

Nuclear power is a genuine option for India in terms of economic viability to supply power at places far removed from coal, gas or hydel sources. The country is endowed with huge resources of uranium and thorium. We have attained self-sufficiency in nuclear power generation and proved our capacity to run nuclear plants safely. It has been established that nuclear power is the safest, environmentally benign and economically viable source of energy.

K.V. Ravindran,

Payyanur

The debate in India is not on the pros and cons of nuclear power but on the compromise of our foreign policy to sign the nuclear deal with the U.S.

Self-sufficiency in nuclear energy at the cost of our sovereignty and self-respect is certainly not worth its while.

Chetan Negi,

Dehra Dun

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