India must continue with nuclear power plants
The Professionals Party of India has said that objections to nuclear power based on ignorance should be ignored. The party said that nuclear power plants, if well-constructed on non-quake areas, are the best way to cater to India's power needs.
The Professionals Party of India (PPI) has said that it is committed to a rational debate on nuclear power generation in India, but the party said that what is happening now is a shrill and scared anti-nuclear power campaign devoid of any scientific or environmental knowledge. This debate, PPI said, is also fuelled by interested political parties, adding that it is essential to accept the geological fact that the fossil fuel reserves/resources of our planet are limited, and more importantly, non-renewable.
Japan has gone in for large scale nuclear power generation precisely for the reason that it totally depends on importing fossil fuels for its energy needs. At some point in the not necessarily distant future every single nation on our planet will completely run out of fossil fuels, and will be forced to switch to nuclear fuels as hydro-electric power cannot meet all the needs, PPI said. The party said that once this reality is accepted it becomes logical to plan for the very long term energy needs of the country based on nuclear energy. It must be clearly understood that a nuclear power generating plant is inherently safe as only - repeat only - controlled fusion reaction takes place in it. The one and only thing that can make it unsafe is the failure of the housing and structures, which protect the reaction chambers. It is essential to understand that the Chernobyl disaster was believed to be the result of poor maintenance. The disaster at Fukushima is a really unexpected one as 8.9 Richter-level earthquakes are not frequent, and hence were perhaps not anticipated and therefore the designed/built-in protective strength proved to be inadequate.
PPI said that what is required is to design built-in safeguards into the new proposed nuclear power stations to withstand 9.0 Richter scale disasters and make them tsunami proof. Those who have seen in today's newspapers the photo of a residential house perched on top of a totally undamaged road bridge in Japan will understand that while an individual family finances may not permit making a private residence totally earthquake-resistant it is possible to build structures and skyscrapers to totally withstand ravages of the worst earthquakes. Technology, though costly, is available.
In our country, like in most democracies, the tendency is to distribute or locate any beneficial facility on a geographic basis to satisfy nationwide aspirations and often to satisfy the individual electoral needs of politicians and political parties. Also, from the defence point of view and economy of distribution of electric power point of view, it makes excellent sense to locate nuclear power generating stations in different coastal points in the country (because of the need for sea water cooling).
However, the Professionals Party of India has strongly objected to the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant as it is sought to be located in a known earthquake prone area where 92 quakes are believed to have been recorded in a span of 20 years. The proximity of the huge water-body behind the Koyna dam, with its inherent capacity to cause earthquakes must also be considered. The fact that the epicentres of the recorded earthquakes were not within 35 kms of Jaitapur or that the tremors recorded were of low intensity is irrelevant. The party reiterated that nothing more than irrational political expediency justifies the location of a nuclear power plant at Jaitapur. Therefore, the plant must be moved out of Jaitapur under all circumstances. PPI strongly supports the agitation of the local residents against the location of the nuclear power plant in Jaitapur.
On the other hand, the residents of Kovvada in Srikakulam district on the East coast are objecting to the proposed 10,000 MW nuclear power plant only on the basis of totally unfounded and irrational fear generated as a knee-jerk reaction to the disaster in Japan. There have been no earthquakes on the east coast of India as there seems to be no shifting tectonic plates under that region.
PPI said that what is required is to design built-in safeguards into the new proposed nuclear power stations to withstand 9.0 Richter scale disasters and make them tsunami proof. Those who have seen in today's newspapers the photo of a residential house perched on top of a totally undamaged road bridge in Japan will understand that while an individual family finances may not permit making a private residence totally earthquake-resistant it is possible to build structures and skyscrapers to totally withstand ravages of the worst earthquakes. Technology, though costly, is available.
In our country, like in most democracies, the tendency is to distribute or locate any beneficial facility on a geographic basis to satisfy nationwide aspirations and often to satisfy the individual electoral needs of politicians and political parties. Also, from the defence point of view and economy of distribution of electric power point of view, it makes excellent sense to locate nuclear power generating stations in different coastal points in the country (because of the need for sea water cooling).
However, the Professionals Party of India has strongly objected to the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant as it is sought to be located in a known earthquake prone area where 92 quakes are believed to have been recorded in a span of 20 years. The proximity of the huge water-body behind the Koyna dam, with its inherent capacity to cause earthquakes must also be considered. The fact that the epicentres of the recorded earthquakes were not within 35 kms of Jaitapur or that the tremors recorded were of low intensity is irrelevant. The party reiterated that nothing more than irrational political expediency justifies the location of a nuclear power plant at Jaitapur. Therefore, the plant must be moved out of Jaitapur under all circumstances. PPI strongly supports the agitation of the local residents against the location of the nuclear power plant in Jaitapur.
On the other hand, the residents of Kovvada in Srikakulam district on the East coast are objecting to the proposed 10,000 MW nuclear power plant only on the basis of totally unfounded and irrational fear generated as a knee-jerk reaction to the disaster in Japan. There have been no earthquakes on the east coast of India as there seems to be no shifting tectonic plates under that region.
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