No nuclear reactor provided any insurance: GIC

The General Insurance Corporation has not provided insurance to any nuclear reactor in the country under the Civil Liability Nuclear Damage Act, an RTI response from the public sector insurer has said.
Greenpeace, an NGO working on environment related issues, had filed an RTI with the GIC seeking details about the insurance provided to nuclear reactors under the act.
The Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act enables operator of nuclear power plants in India to seek partial compensation from suppliers in case of accidents.
Under the act, nuclear reactors have to be insured with a cover of Rs 1500 crore, in case of any nuclear accident.

The NGO had also asked whether any insurance was provided to Kudankulam unit 3 and 4 as these units are ideally the first units which should fall under the liability law, which came into force two years ago.
Although unit 1 of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) was commissioned in October last year, the agreement on units 1 and 2 was signed much before.

"No insurance is offered by GIC to any reactor," GIC said in a response. "No insurance is offered by GIC for unit 3 and 4 of Kudankulam."
The insurance company also said that no meeting has taken place to discuss insurance proposal for KKNPP's units 3 and 4.

"No such meeting was held to discuss insurance proposal for reactor 3 and 4 at the KKNPP. (There has been) no official communication between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and GIC pertaining to the issue has taken place," the RTI said.
Sources in the Department of Atomic Energy, however, said it has been having a dialogue with GIC over the issue and seeks to find an amicable solution.