There is no doubt that the government will take the necessary steps to commission the Kudankulam reactors, as it should because investments of `15,000 crore in a crucial sector of economy cannot be allowed to go waste. Also, the High Court and Supreme Court have refused to stay the fuel loading.
However, the bigger question is over the future of nuclear power programme in India. Will we see similar agitations every time a reactor is about to be built or commissioned? How do we reconcile the country's thirst for energy with the public acceptance of nuclear power?
Make no mistake the country needs energy and that too, desperately. As the recent power blackout in North India demonstrated, the country continues to face an acute energy shortage.
The peak power demand-supply gap is about 15 per cent, and our coal imports are growing every year. Notwithstanding the ambitious targets, a solar/wind plant produces about one-fourth of the energy generated by a coal/nuclear power plant of the same capacity.
Make no mistake the country needs energy and that too, desperately. As the recent power blackout in North India demonstrated, the country continues to face an acute energy shortage.
The peak power demand-supply gap is about 15 per cent, and our coal imports are growing every year. Notwithstanding the ambitious targets, a solar/wind plant produces about one-fourth of the energy generated by a coal/nuclear power plant of the same capacity.
Is nuclear power the answer?
Critics would argue that today nuclear power generates just three per cent of the country's energy and that several countries have abandoned their nuclear power programmes. However, unlike Germany, we are not in a position to renounce any particular source of energy. Every kilo watt hour counts, whether generated or saved. Building ten 1,000 MW reactors will increase the share of nuclear power to about 10 per cent, which the country can't do without. So what lies ahead of nuclear power?
The protests have made it clear that safety of reactors is the most important public concern. The Russian VVER reactors have a few decades of history of successful operation in Russia and other countries. We must remember that Chernobyl reactor accident was an exceptional case, in which all safety norms were violated to perform an experiment under time pressure. We must also remember that there are more than 400 reactors operating worldwide and among them there have been three major accidents till now. Fukushima accident was caused by an earthquake and tsunami of unprecedented magnitude, well beyond the engineering design. Three Mile Island (TMI) was again caused by human error, but did not result in any radioactive release to the environment. India can credit itself with operating 20 reactors for decades without any reportable accident. Therefore, while it is understandable for people to be concerned about safety, it is important to see things in perspective.
Critics would argue that today nuclear power generates just three per cent of the country's energy and that several countries have abandoned their nuclear power programmes. However, unlike Germany, we are not in a position to renounce any particular source of energy. Every kilo watt hour counts, whether generated or saved. Building ten 1,000 MW reactors will increase the share of nuclear power to about 10 per cent, which the country can't do without. So what lies ahead of nuclear power?
The protests have made it clear that safety of reactors is the most important public concern. The Russian VVER reactors have a few decades of history of successful operation in Russia and other countries. We must remember that Chernobyl reactor accident was an exceptional case, in which all safety norms were violated to perform an experiment under time pressure. We must also remember that there are more than 400 reactors operating worldwide and among them there have been three major accidents till now. Fukushima accident was caused by an earthquake and tsunami of unprecedented magnitude, well beyond the engineering design. Three Mile Island (TMI) was again caused by human error, but did not result in any radioactive release to the environment. India can credit itself with operating 20 reactors for decades without any reportable accident. Therefore, while it is understandable for people to be concerned about safety, it is important to see things in perspective.
Effective risk communication strategies are vital to ensure public acceptance of nuclear power.
For future expansion of the nuclear power programme, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) will have to engage with the public in a more proactive and transparent manner.
Historically, the Indian nuclear power programme is closely interlinked with the strategic programme and therefore is shrouded in secrecy. As a result, the public doesn't always trust the government on safety issues.
Statements such as “nuclear power is 100 per cent safe“ do not cut much ice either.
For future expansion of the nuclear power programme, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) will have to engage with the public in a more proactive and transparent manner.
Historically, the Indian nuclear power programme is closely interlinked with the strategic programme and therefore is shrouded in secrecy. As a result, the public doesn't always trust the government on safety issues.
Statements such as “nuclear power is 100 per cent safe“ do not cut much ice either.
In countries having large nuclear power programme, there is a significant public understanding of nuclear safety regulations. For instance, the French who generate 75 per cent of their electricity from nuclear plants have safety regulations that are considered the best in ensuring public confidence in the nuclear power industry.
In India, there is a proposal to replace the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board by the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority, which is under the government’s consideration. The proposed new authority should have the necessary mandate and expertise not only to function in an independent manner but also perceived to be so. For instance, the government’s strategy should be in tandem with the rapid communication technologies of our times. If possible, not only the safety measures but also the decision-making process undergone to arrive at these measure should be provided to the public.
More transparency also implies being realistic in nuclear power projections. The present projection of nuclear power is over 600,000 MW by 2050; 120 times the present installed capacity.
Almost 550,000 MW is expected to come from Fast Breeder Reactors, which is still yet to be technically and economically proven. It implies identifying around 100 new sites, mostly along coastal regions. In the present scenario, it looks unlikely that the country would get anywhere close to these expectations. The DAE would generate
more confidence if it sets realistic targets, which could be achieved in a reasonable time frame. There are also concerns about the desirability of importing Light Water Reactors (LWR) on grounds of economics and specifically in case of the Jaitapur plant, a first of its kind reactor design. The decision to import 40,000 MW was motivated by the desire for rapid capacity addition.While we should pursue this, at the same time, the country should also continue with the expansion of the domestic Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR) programme. The domestic uranium resources constrained the PHWR programme to 10,000 MW.
However, now with the possibility of uranium imports, we should expand the PHWR programme since they are cost-effective as compared to the LWR.
We also have to take into account the economic aspirations of the population, which gets directly affected by the power plants, including those people who reside close to the plant. The initial protests in Kudankulam also had to do with the perception of loss of livelihoods of people dependent on fishing. For example, the population residing near the power plant should have greater employment opportunities and improved standard of living conditions. The Kudankulam reactor will soon be pumping electricity into the national grid. However, we need more of these to meet the country's surging energy requirements. The experience in Koodankulam suggests that the DAE evolve an entirely new approach for public engagement to ensure smooth expansion of the future nuclear power programme.
The writers are with the Centre for Study of Science, Technology and Policy, Bengaluru The population residing near the power plant should have greater employment opportunities and improved standard of living conditions
Aothors : Anshu Bharadwaj, Debapriya Das, S. Rajgopal
Source : DC
No comments:
Post a Comment