India slams ‘baseless’ reporting on Kudankulam plant

India today reiterated that reports about radiation leaks at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in Tamil Nadu are “totally baseless” and that there has been no radiation leak at the yet to be commissioned plant.

The Indian High Commission in Colombo stated that despite the clarification provided last month, “erroneous reports” continue to appear in a section of the media on leaks having developed in critical equipment of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, “raising unwarranted fears of dangers of radiation leaks.”

 

Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (Unit-1) is currently in an advanced stage of commissioning.  ‘Initial Fuel Loading’ has been completed and various tests prior to ‘First Approach to Criticality’ are under progress. 

Close monitoring of the testing procedures and their results is being undertaken by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the Indian High Commission said in a release today. 

Further, an AERB Observers’ Team is at the site to monitor various commissioning activities and report to the AERB on a daily basis. Only after checking compliance with safety requirements does AERB permit taking up of the next commissioning stage, it said.

 

“At this stage of commissioning, nuclear fission process has not yet begun and there is no generation of radiation or radioactive material, and therefore, there is no release or leakage of radioactive material,” the release said.

 

The Indian High Commission also stated that, as per established practice, area radiation monitoring within the plant and environmental radiation monitoring are in place and their readings are continuously monitored. “These readings are of background level and do not indicate any release or leakage of radioactive material.”

 

It further said that given the close and friendly ties between India and Sri Lanka, any “erroneous and alarmist” reporting, which is not based on facts, should be avoided.

The project was the outcome of an inter-governmental agreement between India and Russia in 1988 and construction of the plant began in 1997.

But the project ran into rough weather after anti-nuclear activists stalled progress last year when the first unit was nearing commissioning.

The first unit of the power plant is now expected to be commissioned by April.

In Sri Lanka, various groups have carried out public awareness campaigns against Kudankulam in the recent past.

A Sri Lankan interest group has alleged that the atomic power station has been leaking radiation since February 27. 

Sri Lankan environmental activists on Tuesday protested opposite the Indian embassy in Colombo, demanding a halt to the nuclear power plant being built in southern India.