India's post-Fukushima syndrome can backfire: Russian expert

Moscow, Oct 28 (PTI) The ongoing wave of protests over the
construction of Kudankulam nuclear power plant in the South
Indian State of Tamil Nadu could affect India's ambitious
nuclear energy generation and could backfire to deprive the
South Asian giant of its critical advantage over China, warns
a top Russian expert.
"Public fears, fuelled by the Fukushima accident and
exacerbated by the regional politicians' populist slogans, may
provoke a chain reaction of problems, hampering power
generation development and depriving the Indian economy of its
critical advantages over China," writes Konstantin Bogdanov,
in a commentary released here by the government-run RIA
Novosti.
Kudankulam power plant with two VVER-1000 reactors, being
built with the Russian assistance is in the final stages of
its commissioning, which has been withheld due to picketing
and protests by the local population.
Bogdanov underscored that refusal to modernise the nuclear
industry could have far-reaching consequences for the whole of
India, such as growing system-wide disproportions in the
economy due to the hampered development of the power industry.
"The world's nuclear corporations will lose a prized
client. What other country will have enough funds to build
several dozen power units? But a much stronger blow will be
delivered to India's interests," he warned.
The expert notes that India's goal of priority industrial
development, in particular in high-tech sectors, is impossible
without modern power generation, especially amid growing
rivalry with China for influence in South Asia and in the
global division of labour.
Bogdanov points at what he calls the "selective"
anti-nuclear sentiments and public wrath in Tamil Nadu. PTI