India: Miscalculating the nuclear future

The nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, caused by the earthquake and Tsunami on March 11, has provided a stark reminder of the potential dangers of nuclear energy. While many countries are re-thinking their nuclear energy strategy, India has emphatically reconfirmed its decision to move forward with its nuclear power plants. It is concerning that India is not debating whether the benefit of nuclear energy outweighs the environmental and human costs, should a disaster take place. Everyone understands that India needs more energy as it is essential for continued economic and industrial development. But the question remains whether India should put its need for energy demand ahead of the potential risks of choosing nuclear energy.

Several countries, which have not had major disasters, have benefited from the use of nuclear energy. According to the IEA Electricity Information 2010, nuclear energy currently meets 13.4% of world energy demand. There are over 440 commercial nuclear power reactors operating in over 30 countries with approximately 377GWe of capacity. As you can find in the chart below, around 74% of France’s energy generation is derived from nuclear energy. Also, the US is the world’s largest producer of nuclear power, accounting for over 30% of worldwide nuclear generation, though this represents close to 20% of its own energy mix. These statistics provide a strong argument for India to adopt nuclear energy as one of its important energy sources. However, the tailwinds are changing for the nuclear energy industry.

The Chernobyl disaster and the recent nuclear catastrophe at Fukushima have demonstrated that the consequences associated with an unexpected event can be disastrous. Germany is now taking a lead for dismantling all its nuclear plants by 2022. Today, nuclear energy accounts for over 25% of Germany’s energy supply and it plans to replace nuclear energy with renewable energy sources, namely hydro and solar energy. Until these clean sources of energy are in place, Germany will have to depend on importing energy from France, which currently exports over 17% of its energy to neighboring countries. Unfortunately, France is currently facing problems with its nuclear energy plants. A shortage of water is threatening France’s nuclear reactor complex. Depending on the size, each reactor requires between four hundred thousand to over one million gallons per minute. Although some reactors are situated by the coast, the majority of France’s nuclear reactors are located beside rivers. But now, France is facing its worst drought in more than half a century, leading to low water levels in the rivers and creating a strain on the country’s water resources.

The US, where nuclear energy currently accounts for 20% of total electricity production, is facing stiff resistance to extend its nuclear energy programs. The New York State recently passed a legislation that will make it easier to close the Indian Point nuclear plant at Buchanan, New York. The plant currently supplies over 25% of power in New York City and Westchester. The Indian Point plant currently uses water from the Hudson River as a coolant but the permits, which are expiring in 2013, are unlikely to get approved. Additionally, as the fire in Los Alamos, New Mexico has caused the evacuation of 11,000 residents, the nuclear watchdogs are crying panic for another reason. The fire is approaching the Los Alamos laboratory, which houses over 30,000 55 gallon drums of plutonium contaminated nuclear waste. There is concern that that these drums will get so hot that they will burst and release toxic material into the air.

The fact that India desperately needs new energy sources for its progress is a good argument for adopting nuclear energy. However, we are not debating India’s strategy to safely dispose of the nuclear waste and ensure that India’s water resources are not depleted for the sake of nuclear energy. India’s population is expected to overtake China by 2050 when it reaches 1.6 billion, resulting in a tremendous strain on India’s water resources. All studies indicate that this looming water crisis is man-made and caused by a lack of attention to water legislation, poor water conservation, lack of efficiency in water use, poor water recycling, and lack of infrastructure. It would be incredibly useful for the Indian people to hear from the Ministry of Water Resources on how or whether cooling India’s future nuclear reactors will strain its water resources. While the developed economies take a hard look at their nuclear energy strategy, it is an opportunity for India to honestly debate its long term nuclear strategy keeping its politics aside.

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Srini Viswanathan is Director of Finance for Sol Systems, a Washington DC based solar energy finance company.

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