Saturday, August 20 2005 20:20 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: World Bank today (Aug 20, 2005) said it might not be possible for it to fund civilian nuclear power plants due to the risks and environment concerns.

"Nuclear power plants bring its own environmental issues. I don't think we can take it up," World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz said when asked whether the bank would fund nuclear power plants in the light of US willingness to cooperate with India on civilian nuclear energy.

A number of nuclear power plants are being proposed in various parts of the country as part of efforts to step up power generation and achieve energy security.

In his Independence Day address, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had stated, "In the next 10 years, in addition to the 150,000 MW of capacity being added in the thermal and hydro sectors, another 40,000 MW could be generated through nuclear energy."

World Bank was asked by the eight industrialized nations (G-8) at the Gleneagles Summit to try to help promote energy efficient and clean technologies, he said.

Singh, who was present at the Summit, had mooted this idea of promoting clean energy.