Washington, May 21 (IANS) Industrial conglomerate Adani Group’s settlement of its legal issues in the United States could help accelerate India’s ambitions in the nuclear energy sector, industry veteran Dr Kris Singh has said, adding that the diversified Group is well-positioned to contribute to large-scale infrastructure development in the field.

“I’m glad to see that it’s been settled. So, the Adani (Group) can participate in the nuclear programme that had just opened up,” Singh, Founder and CEO of US-based energy technology company Holtec International, said in an interview with IANS.

Singh described Adani as “a fantastic business conglomerate” and “a critical business house in India”.

“I think they will make a great contribution in the nuclear program right up the alley with the way they do things. They have built ports. They have built fairly large infrastructure projects,” he said.

The Holtec chief said India’s rapidly growing energy needs require a stable and reliable power source beyond solar and wind energy.

“Nuclear is an indispensable component for any country to be heavily industrialised,” Singh said.

While praising India’s investments in solar energy, he cautioned that renewable systems alone cannot provide stable base-load electricity.

“The problem with solar though, is that the batteries have a very short life. They tend to be prone to fire,” he told IANS.

He also pointed to grid instability challenges faced by countries dependent on intermittent renewable power.

“Nuclear provides the base load. The load doesn’t change. 24X7, you have a base load. So nuclear is indispensable,” Singh noted.

Singh strongly backed the development of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) in India and said the country should deploy them widely across districts to decentralise power generation.

According to Singh, locally deployed SMRs would reduce dependence on massive transmission grids and expensive high-voltage infrastructure.

“You don’t need big, giant high voltage lines that carry gigawatts of energy because they get very, very expensive,” he said.

Singh said Holtec was already engaging with Indian officials through its India operations.

“We are talking to the government,” he said, adding that his company’s India-based leadership was set to meet officials this week.

He said India should move towards greater openness to foreign investment in the nuclear sector.

“The country needs to get to a place where somebody, if Russia, wants to come and build a reactor in the country, they should be able to come build it,” Singh said.

Originally from Bihar, Singh founded Holtec International in 1986, which has now emerged as a global nuclear and clean energy company operating in multiple countries.

—IANS

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