Prime minister Manmohan Singh said on Tuesday that the country's nuclear energy programme has allowed India to "think big" and that power from nuclear plants would reduce its over dependence on fossil fuels and combat climate change over the next decades.

He also said there will be "huge opportunities for the global nuclear industry to participate" in India's nuclear industry which is "poised for major expansion".

India sees increased power production as key to sustain its economic growth. The country currently relies on imports for about 70 per cent of its oil needs and the Planning Commission estimates that about 600 million people are not on the national grid.

Addressing an international conference on peaceful uses of atomic energy here, Singh said that 470,000 megawatts of energy could come from Indian nuclear power stations by 2050.

"This will sharply reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and will be a major contribution to global efforts to combat climate change."

The prime minister told delegates at the conference that India is looking forward to the "full and effective" implementation of the agreements it signed with the international community and their reciprocal commitments.