In its verdict giving the thumbs-up to the Kudankulam nuclear power project, the Madras High Court ruled that the government had taken post-Fukushima concerns while clearing the project and observed that remote possibilities of a disaster could not be cited to abandon a project.

The basic issue before the court was whether the KKNPP had all the required confirmations as per statutory provisions. It dealt with a host of issues relating to the agreements between India and Russia for setting up of the plant, apprehensions that arose following the Chernobyl and Fukushima accidents, safety measures, temperature of the trade effluent that would be discharged into the sea, earthquakes and safety, spent fuel and environmental safeguards.

Says Central and State Governments have taken safety measures and it is high time steps were taken for starting production

The Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board have applied their mind in all clearances and statutorily passed various orders relating to the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP). There is no scope for the Madras High Court to presume that the orders are arbitrary, a Division Bench has held.

The Madras High Court today gave its go-ahead for the commissioning and fuel loading of the unit 1 of the two 1,000 Mw Russian reactors at the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project, coming up at Tirunelveli district in Chennai.

The green signal is a boost to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, setting up the units, against which there have been agitations by locals. Dismissing the petitions filed by eight different petitioners on environment safety, the court upheld the recent clearance granted by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

The Madras High Court on Friday gave the green signal for the commissioning of the units one and two of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) in Tirunelveli district. However, it made it clear that the regulatory authorities should periodically oversee the compliance and maintenance of standards of pollution.

“By taking note of the overall situation, we are of the view that the KKNPP in respect of units 1 and 2 do not suffer from any infirmities either for want of any clearance from any of the authorities, including the MoEF, AERB, TNPCB and the Department of Atomic Energy, and there is absolutely no impediment for the NPCIL to proceed with the project,”

The Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board has laid down a condition that the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) should adopt a suitable system to reduce the temperature of the trade effluent at the final discharge point so that the resultant rise in the temperature of the sea does not exceed seven degrees Celsius above the ambient temperature.

The board stipulated the condition in its fresh consent order to operate the plant, a copy of which was submitted to the Madras High Court

The All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) on Monday demanded that the State be given full allocation of 2,000 megawatt (MW) of electricity from the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP).

A resolution, adopted at a meeting of the executive committee held at the party headquarters here, referred to Chief Minister and the AIADMK general secretary Jayalalithaa’s earlier appeal in this regard. The demand had been made considering the shortage of power in the State, constraints in transmission corridor and the delay in integrating the southern region with the rest of the country.

Valediction of the ‘Energy Conservation Week’ celebrations were held here on Saturday.

When the celebrations began on August 21, students of various schools took out an awareness rally at Palayamkottai to highlight the need for saving power. In the valediction held at Palayamkottai, Commissioner (in charge), Tirunelveli Corporation, T. Mohan, disbursed prizes to winners of competitions conducted in connection with energy conservation for school students.

The Unit-1 of Kudankulam nuclear power project is at an advanced stage of commissioning. Permission for initial fuel loading and first approach to criticality was accorded by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board on August 10, said Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, V Narayanasamy.

After completion of fuel loading, being taken up now, in the reactor, activities to approach the first criticality (start of the fission chain reaction for the first time), a major milestone, would start after which full power operation of the unit would be achieved, the minister informed the Rajya Sabha.

To operate Kudankulam Project

The Madras High Court on Tuesday said the Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) had not applied its mind while passing the consent order on July 23 to operate the controversial Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP.) Justice P. Jyothimani, who constituted a Division Bench along with Justice P. Devadass, made the oral remark during the resumed hearing on public interest litigation petitions filed by G. Sundararajan of Vadapalani here.

Wants Chief Minister to take the initiative

The People’s Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE), which is demanding the scrapping of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) and organising protests at Idinthakarai, has urged Chief Minister Jayalalithaa to initiate a fresh round of dialogue with the protesters. In an appeal to Ms. Jayalalithaa through the media, the PMANE blamed the Department of Atomic Energy for not sharing the site evaluation report and the safety analysis report on the KKNPP with the protesters and not listening to their “genuine concerns” over solid and liquid waste management.