It will not affect environment: Kakodkar

It will not affect environment: Kakodkar

http://www.thehindu.com/news/states/other-states/article924254.ece

The Jaitapur nuclear power plant will not affect agriculture, marine life and the biodiversity of the region, the former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India, Anil Kakodkar said here on Tuesday.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of an event announcement, Dr. Kakodkar said: “As we aim for a reasonable standard of living, our need for energy will go up by almost ten times. There is obviously a need to increase generation of power. Looking at the resources available, only nuclear and solar energy can match up to those needs.”

Compared to other sources of energy, nuclear power production will only emit one percent of the natural radiations, he stated. As the nuclear waste will not be handled at the site, but at the re-processing plant, there would be no fear of long-term implications on human life, Dr. Kakodkar said.

Alternatives needed

Owing to climate change concerns there is a need for use of alternative energy sources which emit the least carbon-dioxide. According to him, nuclear energy was one of the best alternatives.