Nuclear Energy, The Tug Of War And Jaitapur

Recently the world witnessed what may be called the worst nuclear tragedy just like Chernobyl, Russia. Everyone is talking about the radiation leaks in Japan. With things getting contaminated with nuclear radiation, everyone is worried about the safety of nuclear reactors in their respective countries.

It is no doubt that after the radiation leaks from Fukushima-Daiichi power generating cable, the Prime-minister of Bharat Dr. Manmohan Singh called for a safety review of all 20 functional nuclear power plants within the country.

It is a fact that Bharat is the only official military nuclear power which is allotted a free pass to pursue a civilian nuclear commerce that too without having to sign a Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. I think it is only the respect that the Nation enjoys for its theory of peace. But as always the problems are internal and political with regards to Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project.


[​IMG]

The plant which will be set up will have a capacity of 9,900 Mega watts and is contracted to the French state-run nuclear group ‘Areva’. The government is facing a stiff opposition from the locals and is seen as a bad foreign policy. Recently 2,500 students from over 70 schools protested against the project.

As far as the safety from Tsunami is concerned, Environment minister Mr. Jairam Ramesh said, “The plant is not tsunami proof.” He further said that the government would look at putting in place additional environmental safeguards to ensure safety of the proposed nuclear reactors in Jaitapur in the aftermath of the tsunami in Japan that has endangered the atomic power plants there.

The reactor which will be built will be an EPR type. It provides for all the safety measures. It is I think a time tested technology. A similar plant in Kalpakkam could be safely shut down when Tsunami struck in the year 2004. But the site selection is going to be important. The main reason of selecting Jaitapur was that the location is 25 meters above the sea level. The technology used is of such a high quality that even if an air craft would deliberately strike it, still it will be safe! EPR is of the third plus generation of nuclear plant. It is provided with many systems and it will be same as the several operating nuclear power plants in France and Germany.

Brahma Chelaney, a former advisor to India’s National Security Council (who helped formulate India’s nuclear policy until 2000) said, “Everything from the opacity in which the contracts have been signed without any competitive bidding to grass root resistance, with problems in acquiring land where people live and don’t want nuclear plants” leads to believe India’s nuclear programs will be delayed in the wake of the Japan crisis, Chelaney further added, “That’s inevitable.” (Quoted India’s elusive $150 billion nuclear-energy market - MarketWatch)

Well the nuclear energy is the need of the hour. The world needs it badly. It will only be a matter of time of whether things turn out in the favor of Jaitapur or not. However one thing is for sure, Government has failed to convince people about the nuclear power plant. It will be only what is truth that wins.

News Source: #-Link-Snipped-# Image Source: #-Link-Snipped-#

Replies

You are reading an archived discussion.

Related Posts

In the recent past, Facebook has been experimenting and changing the interface very regularly. I being a regular facebook user, can say that these changes are affecting our social networking...
What is the first question which comes in our mind when we talk of engines?  It is of course throttle. Throttle plate has always the lungs of an engine. However,...
RTIS aka Real Time Train Information System could soon be a reality for Indian Railways. Traditionally, Indian Railway has been the early adopter of computing & technology advancements and Railways...
When it comes to high end graphics processing, two brands rule the world - nVIDIA and AMD. Both these brands are known to be traditional rivals. The rivalry has taken...
Today many people who run some kind of transport business are very worried about the proper functioning of their fleet system. Their network of vehicles like cars or trucks i.e....