MUMBAI, July 23: India's power generation scene during the last five-year plan was dismal, according to the Member of Planning Commission (Science and Technology), Dr M R Srinivasan. He admitted that an unrealistic figure was projected during the Eighth Plan when the ground work needed to achieve the target itself was missing.

Delivering the key-note address at the `International Conference on Problems and Prospects for Nuclear Energy in Developing Countries' at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) on Monday, Srinivasan opined that the government's efforts to encourage the entry of private companies into power production, through independent power producer route, in the last plan period has been unimpressive. ``Whether we succeed in the Ninth Plan target of 40,000 MW depends very much on the initiatives of the central and state governments and the political will to make this happen,'' he said.

The former Atomic Energy Commission chairman said that the nuclear option stands as a viable power component for a country like India.

Admitting that the nuclear industry will not be able to cross even one-third of 10,000 MW by 2000 AD, a target envisaged by the nuclear mandarins, Srinivasan said that the country should invest more in nuclear power industry - as it is expected to give long-term benefits in future. He said that India should aggressively pursue the light water reactor programme - the two Russian models at Kudankulam and the French models proposed along the western coast. According to him extensive R&D work needs to be done in fast-breeder reactors and thorium utilisation - which is significant in the Indian context.

Srinivasan explained that developing countries like South Korea and Taiwan have demonstrated that nuclear power stations can be operated with high efficiency and can produce reliable power.

He came down heavily on the non-proliferation hawks of the US for their myopic view of India's independent nuclear posture. ``India chose the path of self-reliant nuclear power development much before the technology control regimes came into existence. It was born of a desire to use nuclear fuel resources available within the country,'' he said. ``It would appear to be perversion of all logic when the US announced export embargoes on institutions like BARC, IGCAR, IRE, BEL and IISc.''

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.