V. Nagarik, Senior Scientist- G, Kaiga Atomic Power Station on Saturday sought to allay the fears that radiation from nuclear power plants would cause cancer.
Mr. Nagarik said there has not been a single case of cancer because of exposure to radiation in Kaiga.
Mr. Nagarik was speaking about “Safety aspects in nuclear energy generation” at the National Science Day celebration organised jointly by the Karnataka Science and Technology Academy and the Science Forum of St. Agnes College here on Saturday. Dismissing fears of possible health hazards because of radiation from power stations, Mr. Nagarik said people generally are exposed to average 2,400 micro Sv of natural radiation every year. The radiation around Kaiga will be 2402 micro Sv which was lesser than radiation in places such as Bangalore where people are exposed to radiation of 2640 micro Sv.
All the nuclear power reactors, including the Kaiga Atomic Power Station, were in safe state and located at places that are least affected by earthquakes and Tsunami. All the reactors have been structured to provide in-depth defence that prevents release of radioactive material.
Despite being the fifth largest producer of power, India was yet to meet growing demand for power.
Mr. Nagarik said nuclear energy has a potential to generate 1.92 lakh GWe power every year. The cost of generating this power from the heavy water reactors will be Rs. 2.5 per unit, while that from light water reactor was Rs. 3.5 per unit. The carbon emission from nuclear power rectors was bare minimum and the wastegenerated was negligible.
