The world today is at the threshold of a paradigm shift. There is greater awareness today than ever before about the serious consequences to humanity as a whole arising out of the threat to global climate... This situation has come about as a result of unmindful and unsustainable use of fossil energy by a small fraction of the world population in industrially advanced societies. On the other hand, a larger part of the world’s population is now on a rapid economic development path. It would require enormous amounts of energy resources to bridge the deficit between the emerging demand and current supply which is very low in the developing world even compared to global average per capita energy consumption. It seems impossible to sustain a tension-free society with 20 or 30 times less per capita energy access in the current interdependent world so closely connected through modern-day communications. It is estimated that meeting development aspirations of these large populations, which are now well capable of buying their necessities, would raise serious energy sustainability issues and consequent escalation

of fuel prices that would affect us all. One needs to look at nuclear energy in this context.

Energy associated with processes involving the nucleus of an atom is several million-fold higher than the energy associated with processes that involve electrons that orbit around the nucleus. The latter forms the basis of energy through burning of fossil fuels. Thus, a kg of uranium can be a source of a million times more energy as compared to a kg of coal or a kg of hydrocarbons. Non-emission of greenhouse gases that have threatened the global climate is also a feature of nuclear energy that is catching the imagination of even some of those who earlier opposed it. As a matter of fact, nuclear energy released through fission or fusion of atomic nuclei and solar energy that we receive from the sun are the only two viable basic energy sources capable of meeting our long-term energy needs. We also cannot escape the fact that the sun derives its energy from nuclear fusion.

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