Kakodkar endorses nuclear power plants
Former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, Dr Anil Kakodkar, today endorsed the nuclear energy, against the backdrop of opposition to upcoming Jaitapur nuclear power project in coastal Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra.
March 14, 2011 / 20:56 IST
Former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission, Dr Anil Kakodkar, today endorsed the nuclear energy, against the backdrop of opposition to upcoming Jaitapur nuclear power project in coastal Ratnagiri district in Maharashtra.
He delivered a lecture on `Importance of Nuclear Energy'', organised by V S Page Parliamentary Training Centre, to the audience of sitting and former MLAs and MLCs at Vidhan Bhavan today. BJP national president, Nitin Gadkari, who is a sitting MLC, too was present.Locals, and opposition parties like Shiv Sena, are opposed to the Jaitapur project.With reference to crisis at nuclear plant in Japan due to the tsunami, Kakodkar said that situation was not similar in Jaitapur."Even though Jaitapur is situated on the coast, it is situated much above the sea level, on a plateau, which is important for tsunami protection," he said."Compared to Japan, seismic activity is very less in India. In Japan, there are 54 reactors in seismic zone four and five. In USA, there are 10 reactors in seismic zone five.While Jaitapur is in seismic zone three," he said.When asked by a member of the audience as to why solar energy can not be an alternative, he said solar energy was important but it was not available 24 hours and was not economically viable.Nuclear power plants required less land, compared to solar energy projects, Kakodkar explained.He also said that countries such as Germany, Italy and Sweden, which had decided not to have nuclear power plants, later had a rethink."He also dismissed apprehensions that nuclear power plant would harm marine life, in the context of Jaitapur. Nuclear energy was clean and there was no emission of green house gases. Radiation waste from such plants was also minimal", he said. Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
