Jaitapur nuclear power project will be implemented: Ramesh

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra would be implemented, but maintained that issues of safety measures need to be addressed.

Environment minister Jairam Ramesh on Saturday said the Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra would be implemented, but maintained that issues of safety measures need to be addressed.

HT Image

“The Jaitapur nuclear power project will be implemented… We have to review our safety systems in the light of what happened in Fukushima,” Ramesh said, referring to the Dai-Ichi nuclear power plant in Japan where radiation leaked after an earthquake.

Ramesh said to meet the energy requirements in India, there is no alternative to nuclear power.

“Today, nuclear power accounts for 3% of our electricity supply. Our objective is to increase this to 6% by 2020 and to about 12% by 2030,” he added.

The minister clarified that the compensation issues raised at Jaitapur have been addressed by the state government which announced a compensation package a few days ago over and above the compensation offered by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India.

Ramesh said issues relating to marine biodiversity and livelihood are being addressed by an experts’ committee that has been set up with the Bombay Natural History Society.