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In the backdrop of nuclear safety issues coming to the fore after the Japanese tsunami disaster, the Union Environment Minister, Mr Jairam Ramesh, on Wednesday called for a greater focus on hydel power generation to meet the country's growing energy demands.
Currently, only about a fourth of the power generation potential that hydel projects offer is being realised. Stating that “we need to be realistic in energy planning”, Mr Ramesh urged environmentalist to change their stance on hydel projects.
“We cannot dismiss hydel power in such a cavalier manner as environmentalists are prone to,” Mr Ramesh said. However, he clarified that it does not mean a call for mega dams or indiscriminate blind approach to hydel projects.
He was speaking after releasing a report on “Life, Livelihoods, Ecosystems, Culture: Entitlements and Allocations of Water for Competing Uses”, brought out by the Forum for Policy Dialogue on Water Conflicts in India.
Renewable sources such as solar and wind would not be able to help the country meet its growing energy demand, Mr Ramesh said.
“To expect that renewable energy is going to meet the energy requirement of a nation with 1.76 billion people by 2040 is in my view the height of delusional romanticism,” Mr Ramesh said.
Limited choices
Commenting on the limited choices, Mr Ramesh said the environmentalists are against coal mining because coal is found in forest areas. They are also against hydel projects because they destabilise population and induce seismicity.
The nuclear projects are also being opposed on safety grounds, with the Japan incident raising a red flag.
There is a need to pay greater attention to energy choices particularly in the context of the constraints that the rapid expansion of power projects and rapid acceleration of nuclear plants are going to face, Mr Ramesh said.
“We need a certain sense of balance and realism in energy planning.
We need environmentalists to re-look at the theological objections to hydel projects once again” he said.
Stating that Japanese tsunami was a wake-up call for us, Mr Ramesh said there was also a need to relook at the issue of locating power plants in the coastal areas.
“We should pause and ask ourselves as to what is the limit of the location that we can take along the coastal areas.”
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