PANAJI: The Union government’s proposal to explore a nuclear power plant in Goa has triggered sharp opposition from political parties in the State, with both the Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) accusing the BJP of endangering Goa’s environment and livelihoods.
Reacting to Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar’s call for a feasibility study to assess the possibility of setting up a nuclear-based power plant in the State, Goa Pradesh Congress Committee President Amit Patkar said Goa is not a “laboratory for BJP’s dangerous experiments.”
“I strongly condemn the Union Minister’s absurd proposal. The BJP has already destroyed Goa’s hills, forests, agriculture, and rivers ” now they want to risk lives with a nuclear hazard? We will resist this anti-Goa agenda with full force. Our land, livelihoods and environment are non-negotiable,” Patkar said in a post on X.
Echoing the opposition, AAP Goa chief Amit Palekar accused the government of ignoring the ecological damage already caused by the Tamnar power project and questioned the rationale behind introducing nuclear power when renewable options like solar are available.
“The Kaiga nuclear plant already affects areas on the Goa border. Now they want to further endanger Goa’s eco-sensitive zones? The Tamnar project itself has displaced wildlife and destroyed sanctuaries. Why is the government not investing in solar power, which is sustainable and safe?” Palekar asked.
The opposition voices came a day after Union Minister Khattar urged the Goa government to consider nuclear power as an alternative energy source, citing the State’s 80% dependence on electricity imports and limited potential for thermal, hydro, and large-scale solar generation due to climatic and geographic factors.
Khattar said India, which currently has 8 GW of nuclear power capacity, aims to ramp it up to 100 GW by 2047, and Goa could play a role in this expansion. “If demand comes from the State, we will consider it,” he said.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, in response, said the government would seriously consider the proposals and conduct a feasibility study, while noting that the State currently generates only 99 MW of solar power.
