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Nuclear experts have welcomed the Supreme Court order giving a green signal to the Kudankulam nuclear power project and said this would give a fillip to India’s nuclear energy sector.
M R Srinivasan, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), and head of the committee set up by Tamil Nadu government to study the concerns relating to the Kudankulam power project, said there had been no compromise on safety and third generation-plus reactors had been used in the project.
On the other hand, S K Jain, former CMD of Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC), said the apex court order was a befitting reply to the disgruntled elements who had been opposing the project. He alleged some groups intended to tarnish NPC’s image and that of the dedicated engineers and scientists working hard at the project site.
Safety is overriding priority, said Jain. “Since the beginning, we were sharing information with the public. Those groups with malafide intention have been exposed today,” he said. According to Jain, today’s order will help accelerate the pace of nuclear capacity addition in the country.
K C Purohit, NPC CMD, said, “We are very glad that we could put our perspective about the safety of the Kudankulam project in the Supreme Court."
Srinivasan told Business Standard, “Many advanced safety features have been incorporated in the reactors of Kudankulam project, especially after the Fukushima nuclear accident. It is a safe design. The safety features take care of natural calamities such as earthquake and tsunami. There has been no compromise on safety.”
He said the apex court had endorsed the recommendations made by his committee, another committee headed by A E Muthunayagam, and also the Madras High Court’s judgement on the Kudankulam project.
Former AEC chairman Anil Kakodkar said he hoped the SC order would accelerate the process of delivery of power to people.
However, there were dissenting voices, too. A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board’s (AERB), said: “The news stories I have so far seen make it clear that the clearance given by the SC to commission KKNPP-1 is not unconditional.”
He added the details could be studied only after getting the complete text of the judgement. “Certainly, the SC seems to have asked NPC and AERB to ensure all materials and components used there are meeting the required stringent nuclear quality standards. If they do not follow the SC order, both the boards of NPC and AERB, as well as all members of the AEC may be criminally liable for that lapse. Let them be fore-warned.”
M R Srinivasan, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), and head of the committee set up by Tamil Nadu government to study the concerns relating to the Kudankulam power project, said there had been no compromise on safety and third generation-plus reactors had been used in the project.
On the other hand, S K Jain, former CMD of Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC), said the apex court order was a befitting reply to the disgruntled elements who had been opposing the project. He alleged some groups intended to tarnish NPC’s image and that of the dedicated engineers and scientists working hard at the project site.
Safety is overriding priority, said Jain. “Since the beginning, we were sharing information with the public. Those groups with malafide intention have been exposed today,” he said. According to Jain, today’s order will help accelerate the pace of nuclear capacity addition in the country.
K C Purohit, NPC CMD, said, “We are very glad that we could put our perspective about the safety of the Kudankulam project in the Supreme Court."
Srinivasan told Business Standard, “Many advanced safety features have been incorporated in the reactors of Kudankulam project, especially after the Fukushima nuclear accident. It is a safe design. The safety features take care of natural calamities such as earthquake and tsunami. There has been no compromise on safety.”
He said the apex court had endorsed the recommendations made by his committee, another committee headed by A E Muthunayagam, and also the Madras High Court’s judgement on the Kudankulam project.
Former AEC chairman Anil Kakodkar said he hoped the SC order would accelerate the process of delivery of power to people.
However, there were dissenting voices, too. A Gopalakrishnan, former chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board’s (AERB), said: “The news stories I have so far seen make it clear that the clearance given by the SC to commission KKNPP-1 is not unconditional.”
He added the details could be studied only after getting the complete text of the judgement. “Certainly, the SC seems to have asked NPC and AERB to ensure all materials and components used there are meeting the required stringent nuclear quality standards. If they do not follow the SC order, both the boards of NPC and AERB, as well as all members of the AEC may be criminally liable for that lapse. Let them be fore-warned.”
