Nuclear still an option for SL - Patali [April 02 2011]

Power and Energy Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said the plan to use nuclear energy to generate power by 2025 is still an open option in Sri Lanka. He said it would be unwise to abandon the proposal completely following the mishap in Fukushima as there may be a safe technology evolved by 2025. “Either there will be safe technology to deal with nuclear power by then or the whole world would decide to shut down all the nuclear plants,” he said adding that the country should be ready to meet it's growing demand keeping in mind that the fossil fuel is going to exhaust one day. ” Even with Nuclear power plus large hydros and thermal power, etc we are going to have a shortfall in meeting the demand by 2050. The projections are that there will be a 10 terawatt shortfall by 2050,” the Minister said.