India's ongoing three-stage nuclear power programme remains independent of the efforts to enter into collaboration with foreign countries, the government's top scientific adviser has said.
"This programme remains independent of any collaboration that we are trying and any agreement will only be an addition," Principal Scientific Adviser to the Government R Chidambaram said.
India, which has an installed capacity to generate about 3,300 MW from nuclear power projects, aims to increase this capacity to 20,000 MW, he said.
This target could increase depending on various factors such as the India-United States civilian nuclear cooperation agreement and the availability of fuel in international markets, he added.
India and US signed a nuclear cooperation pact early this year, but it is yet to be ratified by the US legislature.
The three-stage programme -- comprising uranium-fuelled Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, plutonium-based Fast Breeder Reactors and Thorium-based advanced nuclear power system -- would continue with the same pace, he said.
The PHWR programme was already self-sufficient and India could emerge as a global leader in this technology, he said, adding that the country was self-reliant in FBRs as well.
"In Thorium-based technology, nobody in the world is interested. We have large reserves and are working to tap this," he said.
While in the short-term, the country required support from other countries such as the US, in the long-term India would emerge as a global leader in nuclear power sector, he said.
