SC asks NPCIL to file status report on KKNPP safety

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Centre and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd to file status report on the implementation of safety stadards in Kudankulam power plant in TN.

In May 2013 the apex court while giving its nod for the functioning of the Kudankulam power plant granted five years for implementation of 17 recommendations on safeguarding the NPP. With five years coming to an end, an application was filed seeking extension of time.

A three-judge Bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices A.M. Kanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud after hearing counsel Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioner G. Sundarrajan, who voiced concern that the directions were not implemented. Mr. Bhushan pointed out that the nuclear accident that happened in Fukushima in Japan had destroyed life on a radius of 20 km. Mr. Bhushan submitted that safety on spent fuels to prevent environment hazard had not been implemented and the AERB is yet to give its final clearance.

Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta submitted that spent fuel water fills are safe and the concrete tanks are designed to withstand maximum earthquake.

The CJI asked the ASG to file status report on reprocessing plan and posted the matter for further hearing in July.  

In 2013 the court said maintaining safety is an ongoing process not only at the design level, but also during the operation for the nuclear plant. Safeguarding NPP, radioactive materials, ensuring physical security of the NSF are of paramount importance. NPCIL, AERB, the regulatory authority, should maintain constant vigil and make periodical inspection of the plant at least once in three months and if any defect is noticed, the same has to be rectified forthwith.

“NPCIL shall send periodical reports to AERB and the AERB shall take prompt action on those reports, if any fallacy is noticed in the reports; Spent Nuclear Fuel generated needs to be managed in a safe manner to ensure protection of human health and environment from the undue effect of ionizing radiation now and future, for which sufficient surveillance and monitoring programme have to be evolved and implemented; AERB should periodically review the design-safety aspects of AFR feasibly at KKNPP so that there will be no adverse impact on the environment due to such storage which may also allay the fears and apprehensions expressed by the people.”

It said “Deep Geological Repository has to be set up at the earliest so that SNF could be transported from the nuclear plant to DGR. NPCIL says the same would be done within a period of five years. Effective steps should be taken by the Union of India, NPCIL, AERB, AEC, DAE etc. to have a permanent DGR at the earliest so that apprehension voiced by the people of keeping the NSF at the site of Kudankulam NPP could be dispelled; NPCIL should ensure that the radioactive discharges to the environmental aquatic atmosphere and terrestrial route shall not cross the limits prescribed by the Regulatory Body; The Union of India, AERB and NPCIL should take steps at the earliest to comply with rest of the 17 recommendations in five years.