"It is my dream that India and France build a reactor together" Anne Lauvergeon, Honorary Chairperson, Areva

India is the fourth largest energy consumer in the world after the USA, China, and Europe, and the country's energy needs are projected to grow at a rapid rate, said Anne Lauvergeon at the India Today Conclave, adding that India will require more than four times its currently installed generation capacity by the year 2031-32. "It is true that India has substantial, untapped coal reserves but these are not eternal. The wind and sun cannot become the main means of electricity generation in India; and oil and gas are scarce in the country, which must import most of its needs and these are prone to price volatility," she said.

She said that each country must define its long term energy requirements based on its current realities and the challenges of the future. All energy generation has risks which can be suppressed but never completely eliminated. "There are no 'free lunches'," she emphasised. "All energy comes with associated costs."

Nuclear power is not the solution, but it is definitely part of the solution because it is cheap and the result is no carbon-dioxide emission, said the Honorary Chairperson of Areva.

"I am more confident about your (India's) abilities and yourself. It is my dream that India and France build a reactor together," said Lauvergeon, who was first described as "Atomic Anne" by newspapers in the US. She admitted that she found the nickname a bit bizarre at first, but has now accepted it.

Session: The Critical Question: Why India needs nuclear power

Speaker: Anne Lauvergeon, Honorary Chairperson, Areva

Source : Equity Bulls

Keywords