Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 31 (IANS) A day after Germany announced it will phase out all its 17 nuclear plants by 2022, German Chancellor Angela Merkel Tuesday agreed to help India in areas related to nuclear safety and pledged support for the development of renewable energy.

“Germany will champion nuclear safety standards and help India achieve a broad energy energy base. It’s a policy we can support,” Merekl said at a joint press conference with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh after talks between the two leaders.

“We will ensure that the safety of nuclear plants are world-class,” she said, adding that her country, which is a leader in wind and solar energy, was also ready to help in the area of renewable energy.

Manmohan Singh stressed that India needed nuclear power to meet its growing energy demand and to adhere to its self-imposed obligations to combat climate change. “Nuclear energy accounts for only three per cent of total energy generated in our system. As of now our capacity is less than 5,000 MW. We want to raise it to 20,000 MW by 2020,” he said.

“If India is to meet its emission targets then nuclear energy and emphasis on renewable energy is required. We must have the option of make use of nuclear energy together with coal,” he said.

On Monday, Germany made a dramatic announcement, saying it will phase out its 17 nuclear plants, with the last one expected to shut down by 2022. The decision came in the aftermath of the partial meltdown of Japan’s Fukushima nuclear reactor that was hit by an earthquake and tsunami March 11.

Germany backed a waiver for India in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in September 2008 and has now conveyed it’s readiness to support New Delhi’s membership of the elite nuclear club.

During his visit to Germany last December, Manmohan Singh had said that India valued Germany’s support in NSG “for the opening of international commerce for India in the field of civil nuclear energy”. Merkel, too, had indicated her country’s could work together with India on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

After the talks between Manmohan Singh and Merkel, the two sides also signed four pacts to expand their cooperation in areas relating to education, research and high-tech areas like nuclear physics.

They also resolved to push reforms of the United Nations Security Council and held discussions on the intensification of trade and investment, nuclear energy cooperation, counter-terror cooperation and regional issues such as the situation in Libya and Afghanistan.