The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project has been designed in such a way that it will withstand natural calamities such as cyclone, earthquake and tsunami, and people need not worry about their safety and livelihood, said Srikumar Banerjee, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, and Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy, on Friday.
Speaking to reporters on Friday at Noorul Islam University at Kumarakovil near Thuckalay, he said that all the required data were collected before the installation of the nuclear power project. It was wrong to say that Kudankulam was not seismologically stable.
“The country needs power to overcome load shedding. If load shedding is being effected only for 5 hours in the State, then you are one of the luckiest people in the country,” he remarked.
He said that power generation was needed for sustainable economic growth of the country. The only alternative source for power production was the eco-friendly nuclear energy as two trainloads of coal was required to produce 10 MW of electricity. Both coal and petroleum products would become scarce in the near future.
The demand for electricity would also increase owing to rapid urbanisation. Those opposing nuclear power projects are citing the Fukushima tragedy in Japan. But, it should be noted that the plant there was designed and constructed in 1960.
The world had seen many more new inventions (in nuclear science and technology) and disaster management preparedness was being implemented in a holistic manner.
On developed nations such as the U.S., U.K., France and Germany not setting up nuclear power plants, Mr. Banerjee said that of course it was true but the U.S. and U.K. were extending the life of the existing reactors.
When his attention was drawn to the use of solar power, he said that by making use of solar power one could not run big industries. Its use would be confined to certain limits and it could not be stored in a central grid for the benefit of people.
Awareness campaign
He said that steps had been taken to allay the fears of people living in the surrounding areas of the Kudunkulam nuclear power project by creating awareness through lectures and seminars.
“But, they are still misled by a few.” Their livelihood would not be affected as the nuclear power plant was designed in such a way so as not to affect marine resources in the area.
During a natural calamity, the plant would automatically shut down and electricity would go off.
Thorium fuel of future
Thorium was found in abundance in Tamil Nadu and neighbouring Kerala and could be used as fuel in future. The power plant at Kudunkulam was completely eco-friendly and provided with fool-proof safety measures. The entire area would develop like Kalpakkam and Tarapur.
If the protest came to an end smoothly, the Kudunkulam nuclear power plant would be made operational in a couple of months. All the works completed in the power plant project had been approved by Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, said Mr. Banerjee.
