Nuclear power must to meet energy needs, says BARC

BARC Media Relations and Public Awareness Head R K Singh stressed upon the necessity of nuclear energy in development activities and said nuclear power is needed to meet the energy requirements of the country as energy supply is unstable in the present context.

He was speaking at a seminar on ‘Nuclear technology: Energising National development’ organised by Bearys Institute of Technology(BIT) in association with Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai, at BIT Campus in Boliyar, Innoli, in Mangaluru on Wednesday.

He said nuclear plants in India are safest. Nuclear technology could be used in many activities from mining to waste disposal. Also, nuclear waste as a resource. It is used further for reactors and little amount of high level waste is used to prepare glass.

BARC has taken several initiatives towards power generation through nuclear energy. India has mastered technologies in nuclear reactor design, construction, operation, commissioning and maintenance. BARC will commission new programmes in future, he said adding India has established international co-relations in nuclear technology with UK, USA and Germany. Mangalore University Physics department Prof Dr K M Balakrishna said satellite communication and electronic communication system large amount of power is needed.

Applications of nuclear energy such as Cobalt-60 is used in treatment of cancer, radio isotopes are used in conversion of saline water into sweet water. The possibility of solar and wind power are minimised and these sources of power are not sufficient to satisfy needs of present generation.

Stating nuclear power is medium through which maximum energy can be produced by minimum resources, he called upon students to carry out research in the field of nuclear science.

Kuvempu University Physics department retired professor Dr B S Sheshadri who was the guest of honour, recalled the contributions of Jawaharlal Nehru and Homi Jehangir Bhabha to the field of nuclear energy. India needs all kinds of energy producing methodologies and nuclear power could be a main source of alternative energy. Nuclear power energises the national development, he added.