India's nuclear power regulator Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) has downplayed observations made by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in its report. Instead, AERB said it had always put its efforts by periodical safety review, regulatory inspections and monitoring of various parameters that highest safety standard was always maintained at all its regulated facilities. Further, AERB secretary R Bhattacharya told Business Standard: "There has been no nuclear related incident in any of the 19 operating nuclear power plants in India”.
Bhattacharya explained that AERB has a three tier safety review system carried out by the experts in the relevant fields including members from the Ministry of Environment and Forests, IITs and Technical Support Organisations like Bhabha Atomic Research Centre & Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, in addition to its own qualified staff. Various stages of consent right from the siting of nuclear plant followed by construction, commissioning and operation in each stage are reviewed by AERB in a three tier review system.
On a query regarding concerns on India’s Nuclear Safety over a weak regulatory body as raised in the national auditor’s report, Bhattacharya said that there are many instances when AERB took actions on the nuclear power plants to stop operation and construction of some units.
In its report on the AERB performance audit, the CAG has warned a Fukushima or Chernobyl-like disaster if the nuclear safety issue is not addressed by the Government. Further, CAG said there was an urgent need for the government to bolster the AERB’s status if it was to qualify as an independent regulator in a sector which was likely to become increasingly important in meeting the country’s energy needs. The auditor also pulled up AERB for failing to prepare any safety policy for the country even after three decades of its existence.
However, Bhattacharya said after Fukushima incident, which took place in March 2011, AERB immediately formed a high level committee for examining the safety standard of various nuclear plants and to suggest any further strengthening of safety system needed in the event of Fukushima like incident. The committee chaired by AERB's former Chairman had seen adequate safety margins are already available in the 2 x 1,000 MWe Kudankulam nuclear power plant which is coming with the Russian design.
However, as an abundant caution, the committee had recommended on further safety enhancement of Kudankulam plant in a time bound manner.
The Nuclear Power Corporation has submitted schedule for implementation of the committee's recommendations as a part of post Fukushima safety enhancement and AERB has satisfactorily reviewed it.
On its regulatory status, Bhattacharya said AERB was created by an executive order in 1983 with the consent of the President of India. However, the Government of India has already tabled a new safety regulatory authority bill in the Parliament. The proposed authority would subsume the present AERB. Though AERB has been functioning independently even now, the bill envisages a legal status to AERB.
According to Bhattacharya, AERB has already made 143 safety documents applicable for utilities and regulatory board for proper safety review and regulatory inspection to ensure the safety of nuclear and radiation facilities. Further, AERB sees that the facility which is coming up follows all the provisions in the stipulated Act and Rules with respect to nuclear, radiation and industrial safety along with the provisions made in various codes, guides and manuals prepared by AERB for regulation purposes.
