Safety before production: Minister Jitendra Singh on India's nuclear plants

New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) Nuclear plants in India are adhering to the highest standards of safety and there has been a progressive evidence-based decline in radiation emitted at these plants, Minister of State in Prime Minister's Office Jitendra Singh said in Rajya Sabha.

Responding to supplementaries during Question Hour, he said the level of radiation has gone down, including in Kundakulam and Kalpakkam nuclear plants. "In the Department of Atomic Energy, we follow the rule of safety first, production next," the minister said.

He also stressed that "there is enough reason to be reassured" while referring to the safety of nuclear plants in the country.

Singh took a swipe at Congress MP Jairam Ramesh who claimed it takes 10 years to set up a nuclear plant, saying this government has been in office for 11 years now.

"We have not only set up new plants but have also made those plants functional which were left unfinished by them, which includes the Kundakulam plant," he said.

"As far as safety is concerned, at the time of selection of the site itself, atomic energy regulatory board guidelines are followed," the minister said, adding periodic reviews and checks of plants are also done.

Singh told the House, "We have measured the safety of Indian plants, as per a survey, and it is less than the critical value of safety for radiation purposes." "In the last 10 years, the level of radiation has gone down, including in Kundakulam and Kalpakkam plants. Progressively, there is a decline based on evidence in the radiation emitted by plants," he said.

He also said that in the last 10 years, the KGS1 plant in Karnataka has completed a record of 962 days of continuous operation. "So, India which was considered to be having very dismal capacity as far as nuclear energy was concerned, is now setting role parameters for other countries." Similarly, the Tarapur plant has completed 50 years of operation, which itself is also a record, the minister said.

"The first indigenous pressurised water reactor is coming up at Kakrapur in Gujarat and all four units have been made functional. The Kundakunal plant, which was envisaged in 1989, was lying pending is also now functional," he said.

Living up to Homi Bhabha's declaration of using atomic energy for peaceful purposes, Singh said today it is no longer confined to limited applications and "we have atomic energy applied in different fields including agriculture, preservative for food, and developing jackets for security persons".

"Now is the time that instead of being led, as far as scientific initiatives are concerned, India is also in a position to lead and offer cues to others," the minister claimed.

In response to another query by Ramgopal Yadav of the Samajwadi Party on whether a Naval warship or submarine is protecting India's Nuclear plant, the minister said the help of Naval guards and other security agencies is taken for ensuring the safety of nuclear plants.

In his written reply, the minister said, "Nuclear power plants are designed, constructed and operated adopting highest safety standards and the probability of leak of radioactivity is extremely low. Even in the highly unlikely event of a leak of radioactivity in the public domain, emergency preparedness plans are in place to ensure that no major threat is posed to human lives." The highest priority is accorded to safety in all aspects of nuclear power such as siting, design, construction, commissioning, and operation, he said.

Nuclear power plants are designed adopting safety principles of redundancy, and diversity and provide fail-safe design features following an overlapping defence-in-depth approach, in line with codes and guides of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, the minister said.

He said nuclear power plants are constructed to the highest quality standards and the operations are performed adopting well-laid-out procedures by highly qualified, trained and licensed personnel.

"There is a robust regulatory mechanism of safety reviews at multiple levels. The safety of nuclear power plants is continuously monitored and reviewed by the AERB.

"A detailed emergency preparedness plan in line with the guidelines of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board is put in place at each of the nuclear power plant sites before the start of their operation. Environmental Survey Laboratories of Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, established at Nuclear Power Plants regularly monitor different environmental matrices around NPP sites and demonstrate compliance with regulatory limits stipulated by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, ensuring the safe operation of NPPs," he said. PTI