Nuclear Safety Bill set to be tabled soon

The Central government is likely to table the Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill in the current session of Parliament, which will set up the Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (AERA) as a statutory body that will likely report to Parliament. This was stated by energy secretary and Department of Atomic Energy chairman Dr Srikumar Banerjee.

Banerjee added that the AERA will subsume the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, which oversees safety aspects at 22 nuclear power plants in the country.

Banerjee was in Mumbai for the inauguration of the Hall of Nuclear Power, India's first-ever permanent exhibition on nuclear power, at the Nehru Science Centre. The exhibition, set up at a cost about Rs1.70 crore, is spread over 7,500 sq ft and includes extensive information about nuclear power generation, fuel processing, transport and nuclear waste management.

Also present were Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and Union minister of culture Kumari Selja. Chavan hoped the Hall of Nuclear Power would help dispel fears and concerns about nuclear power plants and reiterated his government's stand that that India could not do without nuclear energy, which was clean, unlike the use of coal or petroleum, and needed much less space when compared to hydro-electric power.

Seeking to quell safety concerns, Banerjee said the authorities have learnt from the Fukushima disaster, where the reactors overheated since water could not be pumped in since electric supply had stopped. “We have hooked up the power plant (to electric lines) to ensure that power can be supplied and water pumped in should there be a problem,” he added.