An Indian Supreme Court decision which cancels over 200 coal mining permits because they were awarded illegally has pushed the country towards a more nuclear friendly energy policy, according to an article published today by the AFP (via Yahoo News) The Indian government wants to increase nuclear-powered electricity to 25 per cent of the nation’s total energy production by 2050; currently it is only providing 2 per cent.
From the article: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made nuclear a priority as he seeks to fulfil his campaign pledge to kickstart the country’s flagging economy.
“But to succeed, he will need to convince a sceptical public that nuclear is safe, and dispel foreign proliferation concerns to secure the imports of uranium and technology that India needs to produce atomic energy.”
Around 1/3 of India’s population of over 1.2 billion people do not have access to electricity.