India to add 41 GW nuclear capacity over 2 decades: US

India will be a significant contributor as nuclear capacity in the non-OECD region to more than quadruple over the next two decades.

This is the prognosis of the US Energy Information Administration.

The agency notes that "Significant expansion of nuclear power is projected to continue in the non-OECD region as a whole, with total nuclear capacity more than quadrupling. From 2010 to 2035, nuclear power capacity increases by a net 109 gigawatts in China, 41 gigawatts in India, and 28 gigawatts in Russia".

With India's primary fuel source, coal already short in supply, there is a need to find more reliable, and diverse sources of energy. Protests not withstanding, there is little choice but to diversify and adopt more unconventional sources of energy that do not exhibit large environment externalities or land constraints.

"These are developing nations, and the energy demand will only grow over the coming few years," says the EIA.

EIA takes this into account and also notes that concerns about security of energy supplies and the environmental impacts of fossil fuel use encourage will further encourage development of nuclear power in countries that are not members of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development.

China and India, the agency predicts will account for nearly half the growth in world energy use by 2035.

"Energy consumption in non-OECD Asia, led by China and India, shows the most robust growth among the non-OECD regions, rising by 91 percent from 2010 to 2035."

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