Routine operations at the 440-Mw Kalpakkam plant in Tamil Nadu were normal on Wednesday, after a major earthquake in Indonesia, the Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) said. It added there was no need to either stop the generation or shut the plant after the east Asian nations and India’s National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) withdrew a tsunami warning.
NPC chairman and managing director S K Jain said the tsunami warning was issued around 2 pm, after a quake with a preliminary magnitude of 8.9 hit the waters off westernmost Aceh province of Indonesia. “There has not been any effect in the Andaman and Nicobar islands,” he told Business Standard.
Subsequently, both Indonesia and NDMA withdrew the tsunami warning. “Therefore, the Kalpakkam plant will not be shut down, neither will its generation be reduced,” Jain said, adding, “The plant is functioning normally.” He informed that an emergency control room, headed by one of the NPC directors, would be in operation 24x7, and it would keep a constant touch with the nuclear plants.
Jain admitted state-run NPC may have explored an option of shutting of the plant had the tsunami waves reached the Indian coast.
Regarding the upcoming Kudankulam plant (also in Tamil Nadu), Jain said it was “absolutely safe”, as it was located 7.5 metres above the sea level. The plants at Kalpakkam (70 km south of Chennai) and Kudankulam (in downstate Tirunelveli district) are situated in seismic zone-2, among the lowest seismic hazard zones.
Jain recalled the tsunami in December 2004 was generated due to a high-intensity tremor off Indonesia’s Sumatra island. The Kalpakkam plant withstood it, even as the Tamil Nadu capital was affected by the tragedy. Subsequently, NPC constructed a tsunami wall, spending Rs 10 crore by involving IIT Chennai, and a couple of other organisations. Besides, trees have been planted with the aim of reducing the possible impact of tsunami waves near the plant.
However, the department of atomic energy did admit to casualties following the December 24 disaster of 2004. It said 61 people had died in townships and villages surrounding the plant. Of them, 31 worked at the plant.