The Indo-US civilian nuclear deal and the go-ahead for atomic commerce obtained by India from the NSG will help address world's shared interests in energy security and climate change, Minister for External Affairs Pranab Mukherjee said on Tuesday.
Asserting that India is now poised for a major expansion of nuclear power sector, Mukherjee said the deal would end three decades of nuclear apartheid against India and open a new chapter in Indo-US and international cooperation in the field of energy security.
"Our current estimates are that we can scale up nuclear power at least 63,000 mw by 2030-2031," he told a select gathering of the prestigious Asia Society on climate change and energy security in New York.
A shift to a low-carbon economy, he said, is critical to prevent climate change, which can only be possible if the global regime is fair and equitable.
In New Delhi's energy plan, he said, nuclear power occupies a prominent place as it is a clean source of energy and India has developed an impressive and comprehensive infrastructure for its nuclear industry despite the fact that
it has, since its peaceful nuclear explosion in 1974, faced virtual isolation from international civilian energy market.
India will contribute to this effort as a "responsible global citizen," through its own ambitious Climate Change Action Plan, he said stressing the country's solemn commitment that its per capita emissions will never exceed that of developed countries.