M A I N   N E W S

Govt to assess capacity to handle nuke crisis
Ashok Tuteja
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 17
As part of the exercise undertaken by the government to ensure world class nuclear safety standards in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster, the four groups constituted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will quantify to what level India can handle a major crisis beyond the design capacity of nuclear plants in the country.

The Fukushima Effect n Four groups constituted by the PM will quantify to what level India can handle a major crisis beyond the design capacity of nuclear plants in the country n One sub-group was reviewing the safety of Tarapore I and II plants, the second will take care of Rajasthan I and II plants n The third group will review standards at Madras I and II atomic stations and the fourth will take stock of 20 civil nuclear facilities in the country n Tsunami barriers would be designed at the Kalpakkam plant

Top sources in the government dismissed suggestions that there was ambiguity about the task assigned to each of the four groups. One sub-group was reviewing the safety of Tarapore I and II plants, the second has been told to take care of Rajasthan I and II plants. The third group will review standards at Madras I and II atomic stations while the fourth would take stock of things at 20 civil nuclear facilities in the country.

The government has already ordered designing of tsunami barriers at the Kalpakkam plant following the tragedy in Japan. “Fukushima is a tragedy for us which needs to be studied very seriously…even a 50 m wave can wreak havoc on nuclear facilities. Although it has never happened in India, we can no longer neglect the possibility of a tsunami when we assess risks to the safety of nuclear plants,” said sources.

The sources said the government was committed to ensuring the safety of each nuclear plant independently. There was no question of cost cutting when it came to the safety of nuke facilities, they said.

On concerns expressed in recent years as to why most of the nuclear plants were in coastal areas, the sources said: “When large reactors are to be built, the equipment can’t be brought by land but only sea, secondly a huge quantity of water is required near a nuclear plant and thirdly radio-active elements could only be tested at isolated places.”

“However, small plants could be built anywhere and that was now being done. The government proposed to build several small reactors at one site to generate 10,000 MW of power.