Amidst the ongoing protest by the local community against the Koodankulam nuclear power project in Tamil Nadu, India’s Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman R.K. Sinha said he is optimistic about the first unit of the nuclear project becoming operational by the end of 2012.
“The fuel loading is already in progress. However, it will not be possible to give you exact time as to when the first unit would be commissioned, especially in view of further directives from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and also because of case pending in the Supreme Court for judgment. But I am quite optimistic that the first unit would be operational by end of the calendar year,” Mr Sinha said on the sidelines of the India Nuclear Energy 2012 Summit in Mumbai.
According to him, the ongoing protest by the locals have not stopped work at the second unit of the project, which is expected to become operational during the first quarter of 2013. “The protests are not as wide as it is shown. Actually, the local population from around 35 villages wants an early commissioning of the project,” he pointed out.
The AEC chairman, however, admitted that the public acceptance of nuclear energy has become a major challenge for the growth of nuclear energy in India especially in the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear accident in Japan.
“We no longer face the challenges of technology and resources. But public acceptance seems to be a major challenge and we are not prepared to address this challenge of this magnitude. A fear psychosis about nuclear energy has been created, which do not deserve,” said Mr Sinha making a strong case for allaying the concerns of the public about the effect of radiation on health through scientific facts and knowledge updation.
Mr Sinha pointed out to a study carried out in the high-level natural radiation areas (HLNRA) in Kerala where the radiation levels were found to be 60-70 per cent higher than the permissible level. “A close monitoring of 4 lakh persons and 1,40,000 newborns for congenital malformations revealed that they were neutral to radiation levels,” he said.