POLLUTION

Environmental Clearances Underway for Six 'Away From Reactor' Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Sites in Kudankulam

Nuclear Power Project (IANS) — Nuclear Power Project
(IANS)

The environmental clearance process for the 'Away From Reactor' (AFR) facility to store the spent nuclear fuel of the 1,000 MW atomic power plants — Unit 1 and 2 — in Tamil Nadu's Kudankulam is underway, the Parliament was informed on Thursday.

The process to obtain environmental clearance for AFR to store the spent nuclear fuel is in progress, Union Science and Technology Minister Jitendra Singh told the Rajya Sabha in response to a question raised by DMK member P. Wilson.

Construction of nuclear fuel storage facilities in the country require safety clearances from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), in addition to all the necessary statutory approvals such as environmental clearances, he added. This is done to ensure the spent fuel does not pose any radiological hazard to the nearby people and environment.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) is constructing four additional 1,000 MW reactors at Kudankulam, bringing the total number of power plants to six.

Units 1-4 of the AFR wet storage facilities have received clearance for the building site at Kundankulam after verification with the regulatory and safety requirements, while the design safety reviews are currently being carried out by the AERB, Singh said.

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) studies of spent fuel storage facilities were carried out to assess the environmental impact of Units 3-6, following which they received the appropriate clearances. The AERB has accorded consent to establish the facility in Units 3 and 4, Singh added.

Furthermore, he stated that such spent nuclear fuel storage facilities are already in operation at the Tarapur (Maharashtra) and Rawatbhata (Rajasthan) sites, and that they are operating safely with no impact on personnel, the public, or the environment.

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The above article has been published from a wire source with minimal modifications to the headline and text.

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