TIRUNELVELI: Director General of International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Yukiya Amano, on his fourth trip to India, visited Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant on Wednesday. During the visit, he interacted with mediapersons. Here are excerpts from the meet:
What is the purpose of your visit?
India is a very important part of IAEA and its influence is increasing. As far as nuclear area is concerned, apart from nuclear power generation, India is also using nuclear technology in a lot of other activities such as cancer control, agriculture and food safety. India is very advanced in nuclear technology. It also shares the technology with other nations. That is why I visit your country every two years. This is my fourth visit. My visit to KKNPP has been very interesting and informative.
Have you made any inspections at KKNPP?
No, my purpose was not inspection. I am here to learn from new activities and feel the pulse of the people regarding nuclear energy.
Are you satisfied with the safety measures at KKNPP, especially after the Fukushima Daiichi disaster?
I am very much impressed by the efforts and importance you people have attached to the safety factor. Why did I visit the KKNPP? It is because the plant has many safety features. It has passive safety mechanism. In case of an accident, you need to cool down the reactor. Here, you need not use outside power to cool it. Instead, you have a very interesting idea for cooling by using the natural air circulation. These technologies are very helpful to ensure the safety of the plant.
Do you think that the road connectivity around the KKNPP is enough to evacuate large numbers of people in case of an accident?
Today, the purpose of my visit is limited to knowing about KKNPP, its design and safety aspects.
It is evident that nuclear establishments are prone to natural disasters. The southern districts of Tamil Nadu, including Kudankulam, have experienced two mild tremors in the last 15 years. How can anyone say for sure that this plant is safe?
Proving anything 100% is not possible. But we can keep the plant as humanely safe as possible. KKNPP is quite anadvanced one. This is not an innovative one, but based on tested technology.