A Muthunayagam, a former space scientist with Indian Space Research Organisation, grew up in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. His grandparents and other relatives still live in the area near Kudankulam. He headed the expert panel set up by the Centre to allay fears of the people about the 2X1,000-Mw nuclear power plant to be commissioned there.
M G Devanayagam, a former IAS officer who spent most of his career in the power sector in various states and is also from Nagercoil, heads the parallel expert panel set up by activists in Kudankulam opposing the nuclear plant. The plant aspires to produce 6,000 Mw in the future, provided clearances are given.
The two men know each other and respect each other. But they stand divided on the issue of how safe is a nuclear energy plant in their hometown, or anywhere for that matter. In fact, the expert panel of the government refused to meet the parallel panel. Speaking with the two men as well as their friends is an experience close to what could be like near the Tower of Babel.
The question before the government, which is keen to see the two 1,000-Mw nuclear plants work out, is whether the plant is safe for the local population; whether it will not kill fishes in the sea there — leaving the fishermen jobless; whether it will not lead to radiation-related side effects, resulting in deformed babies, etc, if not a full-scale catastrophe of the kind seen in Fukushima.
There are many more questions that the people and the non-governmental organisations are not asking. For instance, what has been the impact of the existing nuclear power plants on the locals in Kaiga, Tarapur or Kalpakkam? Are people getting diseases? Are deformities being reported? What has been the level of compliance by the plant management there?
Devanayagam says reports are available on side effects caused due to radiation. However, protests are not based on these reports, but a firm belief of leaders that nuclear energy should be avoided at all cost. And, last year’s decision of the expert committee by the Centre, led by Muthunayakam, is based on an exact opposite belief.
Says Muthunayagam, “We gave three reports and we concluded that the plant was absolutely safe for the people, fishes and the water. All questions were addressed.”
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The main argument of the NGOs is that the site selection itself has been faulty, as the soil is lime and not stable. Since the place is located near the Tsunami area, it is considered unsafe, too. Another argument is that the environment impact assessment report was done as early as 1988 when no norms were in place, and it does not take into account developments in the place, including tsunami.
Third, there is no fresh water source and the plant would depend on a desalination route for regular cooling needs, which, Devanayagam says, is unreliable. The opponents also say the water released back into the sea would be warmer than the sea water and would drive away fishes.
As for the history of the existing plants, Devanayagam says it is futile to compare these with Kudankulam, as the former are low capacity. The total capacity of all plants in the country is only 4,750 Mw, while Kudankulam was planned to have six plants of 1,000 Mw each, till former Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh declined clearance to four of the reactors.
As for power for Tamil Nadu, a 1,000-Mw reactor would have a generation capacity of just 650 Mw, of which the state’s share would be 240 Mw after leakages.
Muthunayagam dismisses this and says fishes have survived in Kalpakkam. Besides, the government has a criterion for the temperature at which water is released from plants. So, no one is going to release hot water into the sea.
But, the big question is how compliant are nuclear or thermal power plants with government rules? And, whose self interest is a greater sin or virtue — those who want nuclear energy or those who don’t want it?