International Atomic Energy Agency will regularly monitor AFR at Kudankulam, say officials
TIRUNELVELI: While residents of Kudankulam and nearby regions have been continuously opposing the proposal to set up an Away From Reactor (AFR) facility on the premises of Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the officials of NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited) have allayed fears saying that the facility is 'an operation requirement' of KKNPP 1 and 2 reactors.
The AFR would be constructed with safety guidelines issued by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and have a safety mechanism in place such as shockwave analysis. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) would regularly monitor the AFR to prevent any issues, the officials added.
The excavation for units 3 and 4 AFR has been completed and a tender has been floated for the AFR in KKNPP recently. During his visit to the site, Advisor and Light Water Reactor Engineer, Bhaskar Pandit, said the proposed AFR facility is designed for storing spent fuel discharged from reactors at Kudankulam Units 1 and 2. The Spent Fuel Assembly is required to be stored for a minimum of five years in a Spent Fuel Pool (SFP) located close to the reactor pit inside primary containment before shifting to AFR. Once the storage capacity of SFP is fully utilised, further operation of the reactor requires AFR for shifting spent fuel assemblies. The AFR to be constructed in KKNPP has a life span of 75 years, he added.
Tarapur Maharashtra site Director Vineet Kumar Sharma noted that the fuel has to be stored for continuous feed to the FBRs (Fast Breeder Reactors).
Talking about the safety and storage aspects, Pandit explained that the KKNPP would use wet type of storage facility and the building would be constantly monitored by International Atomic Energy Agency. The building consists of 'Pool Building' that includes a fuel pool and its surge tank, a leakage detection system in the fuel pool including a leakage collection sump, a transport container wash-down area, a fuelling Machine and fuel Racks. In addition to this, the AFR has a utility building that monitors the equipment, safety, IAEA monitoring room and other provisions, he added.
Claiming that the facility is not harmful, AFR senior technical engineer Lakshmi Gopidas recorded the radiation inside and outside the building, which showed 0.3 microsievert per hour and 0.02 microsievert per hour respectively. She pointed out that workers do not even require extra accessories while handling fuel as it is safe. Workers are checked twice and also groundwater near the building is checked for any signs of contamination, she added.
Sashikant Chaudhari, a teacher at Dandi, said that he has not faced any issue because of the AFR or the nuclear plant in many years. Anti-nuclear activist SP Udayakumar stressed the need for the construction of the Deep Geological Repository (DGR) before AFR. "The NPCIL has not been transparent about the works of the project. We understand the operational necessity, but DGR is required before AFR is constructed," he said. Sharma said that the DGR would be built when found viable considering the build-up of waste volume which may take decades.
Meanwhile, locals and fishermen have filed numerous petitions with District Collector V Vishnu during Grama Sabha meetings to stop the project proposal.
The AFR for unit 1 should be functional before November 2026 and for unit 2 by mid-2028.