Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) member Anil Kakodkar today hit back at the critics of the 10,000-Mw nuclear power project at Jaitapur in Maharashtra and said the project would not hit environment, agriculture and horticulture activities in the area.
He also said the project would not make the local citizens impotent or cause cancer among them as feared by the opponents. The Jaitapur project is being implemented by state-run Nuclear Power Corporation by deploying six European Pressurised Reactors (EPRs), to be supplied by French energy major Areva.
Kakodkar, a former AEC chairman and currently Department of Atomic Energy Homi Bhabha Chair Professor, defended the implementation of the Jaitapur project and five other mega nuclear power projects across the country.
“Nuclear power projects are clean compared to projects operated on coal. This is the best option available which will also help India achieve energy independence,” he said. At the outset, Kakodkar said he has take up a mission to propagate the necessity of the development of nuclear power projects in the country. Kakodkar’s view comes at a time when Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has organised a open session on January 18 on the Jaitapur project that is expected to see participation of all stakeholders.
According to Kakodkar, such a large project is required to meet the ever-growing power requirement of the country. “The ongoing three-stage nuclear programme will add 10,000 Mw and almost an equal size in future but this is not sufficient to bridge the widening gap between demand and supply. Therefore, six nuclear parks, including Jaitapur, are being proposed where projects with 8,000-10,000 Mw capacities will be developed. These projects will come up in phases and according to the strong regulators parameters of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board,” he said.
On safety standards relating to lining up the six EPRs in the Jaitapur project, Kakodkar said Areva is a French government company and EPRs had been certified by the regulatory body of that country.
“Currently, Areva is in the midst of deployment of two EPRs in China and one each in France and Finland. The EPRs will be deployed only after they meet the safety and security standards,” he noted.
He also slammed the critics for running a campaign that nuclear projects in India might lead to Chernobyl-like disasters. Kakodkar, who headed the committee to look into the mishap and suggest a slew of measures, said: “Due diligence was been taken by all concerned to avoid mishaps and nuclear mishaps were negligible. In the Chernobyl reactor mishap of 1986, minimum people were affected and those affected were the ones who went to clean the nuclear waste. This was minimal in comparison to the Union Carbide leak in Bhopal in late-1984 that left hundreds dead and thousands maimed for life.”
