AERB to reassess safety measures at Indian N-plants

The Tarapur Atomic Power Station in Maharashtra. File Photo: V.V.Krishnan

Atomic Energy Regulatory Board today said it would carry out a comprehensive reassessment of safety and emergency mitigation measures at all the Indian nuclear power plants, in the light of the crisis in Japan.

Emergency-preparedness plans exist for all nuclear power plants in India, and they are periodically “rehearsed”, AERB said here.

“However, in the light of the unprecedented event in Japan, AERB will be carrying out a comprehensive reassessment of safety and emergency mitigation measures of all the Indian nuclear power plants,” AERB Secretary R. Bhattacharya said here in a statement.

AERB is constantly monitoring the situation at Japan’s crisis-hit Fukushima nuclear plan, he said.

“A detailed review will be taken up by us as full information (on situation in Japan) becomes available,” Mr. Bhattacharya said.

Out of the 20 reactors (19 are in operation) in India, only Tarapur Atomic Power Station’s units one and two are Boiling Water Reactors (BWRs), similar to ones at Fukushima.