WHY THE KOODANKULAM POWER PROJECT IS NOT COMMISSIONING ?

The delay in commissioning Koodankulam power project is making the power-starved Tamil Nadu

impatient, while for the agitating local people it provided a proof of their doubts on safety of the plant. They argue that  if the plant is 100% safe it would have commissioned long ago.  So the delay is considered an affirmation of their fears. The grievances of both Tamil Nadu people and local people are based on genuine grounds and the only option to satisfy both parties is to run the plant safely.

The Tamil Nadu is reeling under power shortage and the state has power cut for hours on end.  A big project like Koodankulam alone can alleviate the power shortage of the state. The agitation by local people is far away from the plant and is not much of an hindrance to the project. However the agitation attracted world attention and made the entire issue look like the strong Government machinery thrusting a nuclear project on hapless residents of the region.  On the part of the Government a lot of money and manpower have gone in to the project to abandon it now.

By now several dates proposed for commissioning the plant were missed mainly on account of finding one fault or other. The Russian Public sector company, Rosatom , had supplied the nuclear reactor to Koodankulam project, the safety standard of which came under shadow when one director of its subsidiary company which supplied components was arrested for corruption and malpractices like supplying steam generators and other parts made of cheap Ukrainian steel. The News created panic not only at Koodankulam but in China and in some other countries that purchased Russian generators. china is reported to be dismantling and refitting the unit.

The News of possible low quality components and the standing public protests on the project made the engineers at Koodankulam to look closely on the entire fitting and safety side. There are also reports of serious leakages found at its trial running. It takes time to check every component closely and make it safe.

 However everything related to nuclear energy is top secret and under high security and no first hand information is normally available as to what is taking place inside the plant. As such most of the reports are speculations about the plant sprinkled here and there with some truth. So in a nutshell it can only be safely presumed that the engineers are checking and rechecking the plant in order to ensure maximum safety before it is commissioned.

It is important that the plant is successfully run for the future of nuclear energy projects in India and for meeting the growing energy demand of the country. It has become a test case of sort now with agitations surrounded by it and the Government’s determination to make it successful . If it fails on safety aspects it is curtains for further projects in the near future and the country will face serious power shortage unless turned again to thermal power.

All said, it is always better to avoid nuclear power for generating energy considering its radiation hazards and waste management problems especially for countries with high population and  minimal land mass.

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 Image: Google

 

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