SL will be safe in an accident of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant

Sri Lanka will not  face severer risk at the event of an accident at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant built in the Tirunelveli district of the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu, Minister of Technology, Research and Atomic Energy Patali Champika Ranawaka said. In response to the recent developments at Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP),    He added that people living within a radius of 150km were at greater risk and Koodankulam was 200km away from the country.

 Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu

He highlited that India and Sri Lanka were both signatories of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Conventions on Nuclear Safety. Therefore, India was obliged to inform Sri Lanka of emergency planning and response at Koodankulam, which is in the vicinity of the Island. “Sri Lanka wanted to reach a bilateral agreement with India concerning nuclear safety, but the Indians had refused. The Indian Government was willing to come to a nuclear development agreement, which Sri Lanka was not ready to do so,” he said.

Since the Indian government did not share information regarding safety planning at Koodankulam, Sri Lanka had to ask for IAEA assistance. The IAEA had intervened and supplied early warning systems to the country. Ranawaka said that seven of them have been installed in potential risk areas. He said that some anti-Sri Lankan elements wanted to portray Sri Lanka as a ‘pariah state’ by spreading rumors over various nuclear deals. Speaking further, he stated that Sri Lanka was only interested civil nuclear applications and not in power generation

  

Tamil Nadu has been suffering from unprecedented power cuts, despite which there have been protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. The Russian-built Kudankulam plant is the country's largest nuclear power project and is designed to help meet a surging demand for electricity. Plans were first drawn up in 1988 and it was supposed to have gone into operation in 2011. Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant has two reactors. When fully operational it will generate 2,000 MW of power. In the first phase, it will generate 1,000 MW of power, and in the second phase, an additional 1,000 MW will be generated.

Two of the reactors are now in place but they have come on line amid large-scale protests by locals about the threat of radiation. Several petitions had been filed before the top court by anti-nuclear activists challenging the project on safety grounds.

Here are the pros and cons of the power plant:

Pros:

1.       It can supply electricity to at least 200 million homes

2.      Capable of generating 1000 MW of power when operational

3.      Has in-built safety measures that minimise the risk of any radiation leak

4.      The location of the plant is in an area that is least prone to earthquakes, and its height ensures potential safety from tsunamis

5.      Storage and disposal of nuclear waste major cause of concern

Cons:

1.       Sub-standard equipment, faulty parts have been installed at the facility

2.      Fishermen allege that the 14,000 crore project is fundamentally unsafe and they fear it will destroy fish in the sea, affecting their livelihood

3.      Ecological damage by radioactivity is feared

4.      Quick evacuation for those living around the plant, in case of disaster will be very difficult

      5.      Radioactivity from the plant, and unsafe disposal of nuclear waste, may cause cancer and other health problems