It's about time India gained energy independence: Kalam

NEW DELHI: With India's oil import bill soaring to $48 billion, President APJ Abdul Kalam on Saturday suggested graduating from fossil fuel to alternate sources of energy like nuclear and solar power for attaining 'energy independence'.

"We need to graduate from talking about energy security to attaining energy independence," he said.

India, which imports 73 per cent of its oil needs, has been spending billions of dollars on discovering new oil and gas reserves within the country and acquiring fields abroad to attain energy security.

But Kalam suggested that India should look beyond energy security, at energy independence, through a 'three-dimensional' approach focusing on solar and nuclear power and bio-fuels.

Noting that experts have predicted fossil fuel reserves to dwindle in the next 50 to 60 years, he said the country should look at tapping solar energy, which was abundant. Although efficiency of solar cells was very low at 15 per cent, ongoing research would in the next five years raise it to 45 per cent, he added.

India, which faces the daunting task of adding 100,000 MW of electricity generating capacity over the next five years to meet power needs, should also focus on nuclear energy, Kalam said, adding that with limited uranium reserves the country should exploit thorium reserves.

The country's track record of running of 12 nuclear reactors without any incident should help dispel the notion of nuclear energy being an unsafe source, he said.

The President said mixing of non-edible oil from plants like jatropha and ethanol from sugarcane in petrol and diesel should be increased to cut import dependence.

India spent 48.1 billion dollar on import of 110 million tons of oil in 2006-07.

Currently, 10 per cent ethanol is being doped in petrol and experiments are on for blending non-edible oil (called bio-fuel) in diesel.

Car manufacturers, he said, should modify engines so as to accept higher percentage of non-fossil fuels.