The Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill tabled by the Centre has evoked mixed reactions. While Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC) and French nuclear major Areva, have welcomed the step, former Atomic Energy Regulatory Board chairman A Golapalkrishnan has questioned the setting up of a nuclear safety council under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister.
NPC operates 20 plants with a generation capacity of 4,760 Mw and Areva has got into an agreement with the Indian company to supply the six reactors of 1,650 Mw each to NPC’s proposed 9,900 Mw Jaitapur project.
The Bill, which was tabled in the backdrop of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March, proposes to establish a Council for Nuclear Safety to oversee and review the policies with respect to radiation safety, nuclear safety and other related issues. The Authority would ensure the use of radiation and atomic energy is safe for the health of radiation workers, members of the public and the environment.
According to the Bill, the council will have the authority to direct the owner of, or holder of the consent or any person dealing with radioactive material, radiation source or facility, to hand it over to the central government if it is detrimental to the safety and physical security of such material or facility, or has a potential to be detrimental to the safety of public or the environment. The Authority would have powers to punish and fine the entity in case of non-compliance of its orders.
NPC Chairman SK Jain told Business Standard: “NPC welcomes this Bill. This will promote the use of nuclear power as it will lead to rest all those apprehensions or misgivings regarding the independence of the present regulators. NPC has been maintaining all through that our operations are transparent, they have been peer reviewed at the international level and have been getting subjected to rigorous regulations, including shut down of operating plants and also stoppage of construction work by regulators in the past.
NPC would have been happier if a provision of an appellate authority was also included in the Bill along the lines of other regulators.”
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Areva India chairman and managing director Arthur de Montalembert said: “We have had no time to study all provisions of the Bill. But we cannot see any issue with an independent nuclear safety authority, as it exists in other countries, including France.”
India’s existing nuclear regulator, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) which would be replaced by the proposed Authority, has also welcomed the Bill.
R Bhattacharya, AERB’s non member secretary, said: “AERB will be renamed as the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority with more legal powers. There will be more members from the outside. The Authority will report to the Nuclear Safety Council chaired by the Prime Minister and later to the Parliament. Unlike AERB, it will not report to the Atomic Energy Commission. The Nuclear Safety Council will oversee the functioning of the Authority.”
S Thakur, distinguished scientist and Fellow NPC said the Bill was a welcome step. “We have been having saying that AERB should have adequate functional authority and independence. There was an effective separation of regulatory powers and those authorities propogating the nuclear power. This arrangement has worked very well for the modest nuclear programme which the country has so far. However, with the expansion of nuclear capacity in view it was necessary to have a totally independent regulatory authority in line with the best international practices world over.”
However, Gopalakrishnan questioned the need for a Nuclear Safety Council chaired by the Prime Minister and comprising a couple of ministers. On the other hand, Greenpeace said it was happy that the government was for a nuclear safety authority. However, it said more clarity would be needed on the functioning of the proposed Nuclear Safety Council, especially with regard to veto power or majority vote.