N-plants, rare earths, gas exploration: PM Modi's big pitch for energy security

From the Red Fort, Narendra Modi said India would bring five new nuclear reactors on stream this decade.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a strong pitch for energy security through diversification of India’s energy mix, announcing critical steps including five new nuclear reactors will become operational in the country within the next decade.

Addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day, Modi said energy security had become critical as emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, semiconductors and data centres require enormous amounts of electricity.

"Today, it is difficult to run the new world without energy. Whether it is chips, AI or data centres, we need enormous amounts of electricity. Energy security is the need of the hour," the Prime Minister said.

Emphasising the need to reduce dependence on conventional energy sources, Modi said India was moving towards greater self-reliance in nuclear power and that his government had taken a series of steps to strengthen the country’s energy security.

"One major means of ensuring energy security is nuclear energy. By 2047, we will have 100 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity. We are working towards this goal," Modi said.

He added that the government had set a target of operationalising five new nuclear reactors within the current decade.

"In this very decade, we will have five new nuclear reactors starting operations. We have set a target to get them operational," he said.

The announcement comes as India seeks to rapidly expand nuclear power as a source of reliable, low-carbon electricity. The government’s Nuclear Energy Mission has set a target of taking the country’s nuclear power capacity to 100 GW by 2047.

The Prime Minister further highlighted that India has "achieved a significant milestone" in the breeder nuclear technology, which produces more nuclear fuel than it consumes, this year. "And because of that, we have taken a very big step towards achieving self-reliance in nuclear fuel," he added.

BIG PUSH FOR OFFSHORE OIL EXPLORATION

Citing that India’s dependence on crude oil was partly the result of limitations in its approach to exploring domestic energy resources, PM Modi announced that nearly 99 per cent of offshore areas earlier designated as “no-go” zones had now been opened for exploration.

"Today, India has to depend on crude oil, and this is also a result of the limitations in our thinking," Modi said while addressing the nation from the Red Fort on the 80th Independence Day.

He added India had previously restricted exploration beneath the sea, with nearly 99 per cent of its offshore areas designated as "no-go areas".

"We had effectively decided not to undertake exploration beneath the sea. This was a poverty of thinking. We decided that this could not continue," the Prime Minister said, adding the government had since opened up the areas that were earlier classified as "no-go" zones and converted them into "go-ahead" areas.

"We are now actively pursuing exploration beneath the sea and making efforts to discover new reserves," he said.

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