WASHINGTON — Adani Group’s settlement of legal issues in the United States could help clear the way for the Indian conglomerate to play a larger role in the country’s nuclear energy expansion, Holtec International founder and CEO Kris Singh said.
Singh, an industry veteran who leads the U.S.-based energy technology company, said Adani is well-positioned to support large-scale infrastructure development as India looks to expand nuclear power.
“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 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.
Singh said India’s growing energy needs will require stable and reliable power sources beyond solar and wind.
“Nuclear is an indispensable component for any country to be heavily industrialised,” Singh said.
While praising India’s solar energy investments, Singh said renewable systems alone cannot provide consistent 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 said.
Singh also cited grid stability concerns in countries that rely heavily 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 said.
He also strongly backed the development of small modular reactors in India, saying the country should deploy them broadly across districts to decentralize power generation.
Singh said locally deployed small modular reactors would reduce dependence on massive transmission grids and costly 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 is already engaging with Indian officials through its India operations.
“We are talking to the government,” he said, adding that the company’s India-based leadership was expected to meet officials this week.
He said India should move toward 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.
Singh, who is originally from Bihar, founded Holtec International in 1986. The company has since grown into a global nuclear and clean energy business operating in multiple countries. (Source: IANS)
