London-headquartered World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) is keeping a close watch on the day-to-day developments at the Fukushima plant in Japan after it was damaged following a devastating earthquake and tsunami. WANO, whose members operate 400 nuclear reactors in 30 countries, including India, has clarified that the nuclear disaster in Japan was not a Chernobyl-like accident that sent large volume of contamination into the atmosphere. In an exclusive interview with Sanjay Jog, WANO Chairman Laurent Stricker discusses a whole range of issues
What are WANO’s observations on the Japanese nuclear disaster?
The earthquake and tsunami that occurred on March 11 were a disaster for Japan and our sympathies go out to the many victims of that tragedy. The ensuing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima-Daiichi station only compounded the difficulties that Japan was dealing with. It is a serious nuclear accident, no doubt, but Tokyo Electric Power Company and the Japanese government, as well as the many other organisations worldwide that have stepped in to help, seem to be doing everything possible to contain the situation and protect the health and safety of the public. From reports I’m receiving the conditions are improving daily. Radiation doses on the site are decreasing and power and cooling water are being restored to the nuclear units in a methodical fashion.
What’s WANO’s views on the present state of radiation and its impact in various countries, including India?
As I noted above, I believe radiation levels are slowly improving which will make the necessary work on the station a bit easier. There may be additional venting required at Units 1, 2, or 3, which might cause short-term spikes, but overall the trend is getting better. Based on what I see, there should be minimal to no impact on other countries. The impact will be in the areas immediately adjacent to the plant. This was not a Chernobyl-like accident that caused large-scale contamination in the atmosphere.
Has it become quite necessary to review and revisit the safety and security measures by nuclear power generating countries including India and those who are venturing into this segment?
A great strength of our industry is that we work hard to learn from the lessons of the past. As with all serious nuclear events a great deal of effort will go into understanding what happened, learning from what happened, and putting in place measures to prevent anything similar from occurring again. WANO will be part of that effort. Because of WANO’s mission I cannot be an advocate for nuclear power. But I can say that based on past experience our industry will emerge from this crisis stronger and safer.
Is WANO expected to soon convene an emergency meeting of governing board and subsequently with nuclear operating countries to discuss at length the Japanese nuclear disaster and the future line of action?
Shortly after the events unfolded in Japan, on March 15, we held a telephone conference call with the WANO Governing Board members. I have also been in contact with Governing Board members by phone or email almost daily. Finally, at the end of March we will hold a formal meeting in Paris at which we will start the discussion of changes that may be needed to WANO or to our industry. We have already laid out a series of actions to implement in this first stage, supporting TEPCO as the crisis is contained, and for the intermediate term and long term. We will update these actions in the following months as the lessons learned emerge from this event. We have already sent instructions to all nuclear operators worldwide to conduct certain checks and reviews to be sure they can mitigate a beyond design basis event at their facilities. Later this year, we will meet with the CEOs of all nuclear operators to discuss our plans of going forward.
Will the Japanese nuclear disaster dampen the nuclear capacity addition programme undertaken by various countries, including India? Do you suggest some further regulatory changes?
The changes that might occur to regulations or safety standards will need to wait until we have a better understanding of the lessons learned from this event. As I noted above, in my role I cannot be an advocate for nuclear power. It is a decision every government must make. But personally, I think nuclear power must be a part of the solution to the energy needs of many countries. There is no source of energy that can be generated without risk. It is and will be WANO’s mission to be sure that nuclear of the future is safe and reliable.
