Says plant is safe and secure, necessary for economic growth
SC today dismissed a plea against commissioning of the Kudankulam nuclear plant. The plant is safe and secure and is necessary for larger public interest and economic growth of the country, the apex court said. Nuclear power plants are needed in the country for the present and future generations, it added.
Citing the collapse of an under-construction nuclear plant in Russia, a fresh petition has been filed in the Supreme Court for restraining the government from commissioning the first phase of the 2
A high-level environment ministry panel has recommended coastal regulatory zone (CRZ) clearance for setting up a desalination unit at Kudankulam Nuclear Power plant (KKNPP) in Tamil Nadu.
The Cabinet Committee on Security has cleared the decks for building two more 1,000 MW nuclear power units at Kudankulam by giving the go-ahead to the Russian offer of about Rs 40,000 crore for the project days before it lapsed.
The decision came right after the Department of Atomic Energy informed the government that the first reactor in Kudankulam would go critical this month. The movement on the project is also vital to the tough stand the Jayalalithaa government in Tamil Nadu has taken against protesters in a bid to meet its poll claims to improve the power situation in the state.
People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy to lay siege to township tomorrow
The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project has “successfully completed” the mandatory penultimate tests before commissioning its first unit by testing an array of steam relief valves under operating pressure and temperature. The tests, started on last Friday to evaluate the performance of high-precision steam relief valves at operating pressure and temperature, were completed on Monday.
Lankan govt has also protested and voiced reservations against the project
Indian and Sri Lankan environment activists are planning a series of joint protests against the proposed Kudankulam nuclear plant in southern Tamil Nadu.
“Several environmental groups are protesting in that country (Sri Lanka), too. We are in touch with the environmental organisations there on a regular basis. Last week, one of them had organised a protest in front of the Indian Embassy in Sri Lanka and we are looking to take this tie-up forward,” said M Pushpanarayan, leader of the Tamil Nadu-based People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), which has completed 583 days of continuous protests against the project.
As flow of funds for Kudankulam nuclear power plant protests come under scanner, a whopping Rs 30 lakh transfer from London to the bank account of a woman, whose husband is linked to the stir, has led to suspicions prompting police to file a case against her.
The case against Ambika under Sec 102 CrPC has been registered by police after a branch of Canara bank here reported the transfer of Rs 29,98,782 into her savings bank account, Police said today.
Winning back confidence in nuclear power after Fukushima Daiichi nuclear accident in March difficult, but will require unwavering commitment to safety
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Yukiya Amano said on Monday public awareness was important to ensure nuclear power projects do not face opposition. He acknowledged the concerns and opposition to nuclear power capacity addition. “Public acceptance is also an important issue. I know this has been a concern in India, as in other countries, and that there have been demonstrations against the construction of new nuclear power plants,” Amano said in Mumbai at an event organised by the Indian Nuclear Society.
With the much-delayed Kudankulam nuclear power project expected to be commissioned by April, anti-KNPP activists on Monday revived their protest by laying a siege to the plant through sea.
Defying prohibitory orders, fishermen from Kanyakumari, Tuticorin and Tirunelveli districts came in boats with black flags hoisted atop them and laid siege about 500 metres from the plant.
