Nuclear power plants to be built elsewhere despite Japan mishap

Nuclear Power Plants Likely to Proliferate Despite Japan Crisis

Nuclear power plants will continue to be built by countries like China and India to meet the rising demand for electricity amid surging economic growth.

The decision by officials from the said countries is in contrast with the apprehension being felt by the United States and Europe to expand their nuclear program following a possible meltdown in a Japanese nuclear plant hit by an earthquake recently.

Emerging economies may be more careful with their nuclear power plants in light of what happened in Japan, but they are unlikely to scrap their growing nuclear program anytime soon.

"Ours is a very power-hungry country," Srikumar Banerjee, chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission of India, said Monday. The official pointed out that 40 percent of the country's 1.2 billion people have yet to receive electricity in their homes and therefore, "It is essential for us to have further electricity generation."

Chinese vice minister of environment Zhang Lijun likewise reiterated on Saturday that China will forge  ahead with building more nuclear power plants even with safety risks posed by the installations.

Developed countries may scale back their nuclear power goals in the short term, but rising oil prices and high dependency on fossil fuels will still drive them to build more nuclear power plants in the future.

The World Nuclear Association estimates that the current number of 443 nuclear reactors active worldwide can double in the next 15 years.

Because of the crisis in Japan, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said Monday that the Department of Atomic Energy will re-examine the safety mechanisms of the country's nuclear power plants.

Posted by Sophia Andrews on Wednesday March 16 2011, 6:41 AM EST. Ref: NY Times. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, World. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0