Dr A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, Ashok Parasarthy, former scientific adviser to prime minister Indira Gandhi [Images], and Prabir Purkaystha of the Delhi Science Forum have come out with very strong views against the deal.
Dr Purkaystha says the cost of the per KW nuclear energy at present was $4000, a cost at which a thermal power plant based on solar energy would produce the same amount of power, minus the hazards of the nuclear radiation and the fear of stoppage of supplies of fuel by the US and other suppliers in future. These calculations, he says have not been done in the abstract but based on the actual costs that have come for a 1600 MW nuclear power plant installed by a French company in Finland. When the agreement was signed the cost was $2650, but now there has been a 25 per cent escalation in the cost which has come to $4000 per KW. ''The figures are there on all international websites, and could be checked by anyone interested,'' he said. Even if the nuclear energy is taken as the most suitable option for the country, there were so many difficulties with the 123 Agreement that the deal could not be given a clean chit he says.
He said it would be a wishful thinking that if the US stopped supplies of nuclear fuel, India would get it from other members of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. ''One should not forget that the US was behind the formation of the NSG after India carried out nuclear tests in Pokhran,'' he said. Even
