If the commissioning of the first two units of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) has been stalled by protests from locals backed by the State government, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is sweating it out with the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to obtain final clearance for units three to six (KKNPP 3–6).
MoEF's Expert Appraisal Committee once again deferred the expansion proposal at its 105{+t}{+h} meeting held immediately after the locals called off indefinite strike at Kudankulam after Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced that the State cabinet would pass a resolution seeking suspension of KKNPP on September 21.
This time around, NPCIL, the project proponent, was asked to submit documentary evidence in support of its statement that the plant was having the most advanced safety features, termed “first of its kind” in safety aspect, as it has a wider ramification in the context of what was happening around the world on similar developments.
The proposal was not acceptable as it still showed construction of an open channel for outfall which could result in various environmental problems, including the adverse impact on the marine life. Once again, the proponent was advised to consider a pipeline for disposal.
Noting that the plant elevation was designed for tsunami and flooding with sufficient conservatism, the committee said this should be further amplified with a comparison of connected parameters with normal conditions highlighting the additional provisions made to withstand tsunami effects and the method adopted for quantification.
Deferring the proposal after making the above observations, the committee decided to consider the proposal afresh after its observations were addressed and submitted for reconsideration.
The EAC had earlier rejected the proposal in May in its 99{+t}{+h} meeting raising five pertinent points to be answered.
The new proposal involves setting up of four additional reactors in the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) as Units 3 to 6 (each of 1000 MW) similar in design and to be located adjacent to the first two units, which are to be commissioned in a few months. NEERI has carried out comprehensive Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study for the expansion. HTL/LTL demarcation has been done through CESS, Trivandrum.
According to the project proponent, the plant's active safety systems have a backup of passive safety systems.
The plant system, structures and components are designed for earthquake, explosions and other natural calamities and the reactor building was designed to withstand a Cessna-type aircraft crash.
