Fuel loading yet to begin: AERB
The chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) on Thursday said that loading of fuel was yet to begin at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP). There have been widespread protests across Tamil Nadu against the plant.
The AERB chief on Thursday in Mumbai spoke about the current status of the plant.
“A seven-member AERB team is carrying out last-minute checks at the first 1,000 MW unit of KNPP. As soon as those are complete, we will get the report from the ground team. This report will be reviewed and only then will we give clearance for fuel loading;” said S.S. Bajaj, chairman, AERB, adding that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) was responsible to ensure that all required safety parameters are fulfilled before loading is approved.
“We do not know how much time the process will take, and that is the responsibility of the NPCIL. We only have to ensure if all safety measures have been met,” he said when asked how much time the process would take.
Speaking about the safety of the plant, which is a prime concern among the protesters led by anti-nuclear activists, Mr Bajaj said that the plant was safe against natural disasters like tsunamis and that further recommendations had also been made keeping the Fukushima incident in Japan in mind.
“Some of the recommendations are already being put into action. The AERB has allotted a timeframe of six months to two years for all of them to be recommended,” he said.
Mr Bajaj refused to answer queries about the findings of the CAG report, saying that the report was with the parliamentary committee at the moment, and that it would not be appropriate for him to comment without inviting privilege issues of Parliament.
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