Nuclear power corporation goes all out to garner support for Jaitapur and Kudankulam plants

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has now decided to go all out to garner support from general public for its ambitious power plants at Jaitapur in Maharashtra and Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. The authorities at the NPCIL organised a special presentation about the safety, utility and necessity of nuclear power on Thursday.

Nuclear corporation to allow general public inside power plants

Strong public opposition to nuclear power plants, especially the near-complete Kudankulam plant in Tamil Nadu and the proposed one at Jaitapur in Maharashtra, seems to have forced the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) to  adopt a new public relations strategy. The corporation has decided to allow people to visit nuclear power plants or any of the NPCIL establishments whenever they wish.

Jaitapur-affected to get annuity payments

Even as residents of Jaitapur in Ratnagiri district continue to oppose the proposed nuclear power plant, the Maharashtra government is mulling the idea of revising the compensation to the families affected by it.

What about nuclear transparency?

A group of over 25 scientists, bureaucrats and activists released a statement on April 19, demanding transparency in India’s nuclear power programme. The statement was released a day after a clash between policemen and those protesting the proposed nuclear power plant at Jaitapur in Maharashtra. One person was killed and eight were injured in the clash at Jaitapur.

India takes a step ahead on nuclear transparency

The government on April 26 accepted the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) safety review project called the Operational Safety Review Team programme (OSART). The government will introduce an independent Nuclear Regulatory Authority of India. The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board will come under it, said environment minister Jairam Ramesh.

Nuclear fault lines run deep

THE slow-moving disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan that is spreading a cloud of anxiety across the world has forced most nations to either suspend or review their nuclear power programmes—but not India. In the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that struck the huge Daiichi power complex of the Tokyo Electric Power Company, two things have happened: a series of disclosures that have exposed more of the nuclear industry’s dark secrets, not least in Japan, and a rethink by several countries and utilities that had planned new projects.

A tsunami of questions

Are Indian nuclear power plants at risk? In the light of what is happening in Japan, is India prepared to deal with high-risk nuclear technologies as it embarks on a new phase of nuclear energy expansion? These are issues that have been debated on prime news channels over the past few nights. These are important issues, I believe, and relevant questions. The fact is that Japan is an amazingly technologically sophisticated country, which had built its plants for all exigencies and calamities. But even Japan is finding it difficult to contain the disaster that is still building up and is of potentially huge proportions.

Ratnagiri protests clearance to Jaitapur power park

Close to 6,000 protesters on December 4 waved the black flag at French company Areva setting up a nuclear power park at Jaitapur block in Maharashtra. They formed a human chain and raised slogans such as “Sarkozy go back’ and “Areva go back”.