Indian Nuclear Power Plant Sparks International Fears
From Oil Price
By John Daly
If the 1986 Soviet Chernobyl disaster and, more recently, the destruction of Japan’s 11 March 2011 six reactor Fukushima Daiichi Tokyo Energy Power Co. installation, proved anything to the global community, aside from frantic assertions by the authorities that the public threat was minimal, it was that radioactive pollution is a trans-national issue.
The latest international nuclear spat is occurring between Sri Lanka and India over the latter’s imminent completion of its Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. India’s government has dismissed as “baseless” the reports here about radiation leaks at the yet to be commissioned Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu, saying it has a robust regulatory mechanism to ensure safe operation, with an Indian High Commission statement stating, “These reports are totally baseless. There has been no radiation leak at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant. It is reiterated that safety is accorded utmost attention in Nuclear Power Plants and encompasses the entire gamut of activities associated with these NPPs,” adding that various works and commissioning tests and regulatory procedures are progressing, in line with oversight by India’s Atomic Energy Regulatory Board. The AERB reviews the various reports of performance tests and accords clearance for the next stage to ensure safe operation.
