Can our nuke reactors survive an earthquake?

After Japan declared a nuclear emergency yesterday, MiD DAY spoke to atomic energy officials, activists to get their take on safety specs of nuclear reactors in and around the city

Can our nuke reactors survive an earthquake?

After Japan declared a nuclear emergency yesterday, MiD DAY spoke to atomic energy officials, activists to get their take on safety specs of nuclear reactors in and around the city

WITH tsunami-struck Japan declaring a nuclear emergency yesterday, the question that begs to be asked is whether nuclear reactors in and around the city can cope with a disaster of this magnitude.

An atomic energy official says nuclear power plants all over the world are designed with safety features keeping all kinds of natural calamities and rise in water levels or wind speeds in mind

For, with one reactor in Trombay and four nuclear power plants in Tarapur, India could very well be forced to contend with a Chernobyl-like disaster on its own shores.
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This situation could occur as the earthquake or tsunami could cause the reactors to malfunction.

"Nuclear power plants all over the world are designed with safety features keeping all kinds of natural calamities and rise in water levels or wind speeds in mind.

Should a calamity strike, the reactor would automatically go into safe mode, switch itself off and continue cooling the nuclear plant," said S K Malhotra, head, Public Awareness Division, Department of Atomic Energy.

"All modern nuclear reactors, including those in India, have double containment made out of a special-grade M60 concrete mixture and are designed in such a manner that the fuel (uranium and other radioactive materials) inside the reactor does not spill out.
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No damage or crack is caused to the reactor even if it is hit by a missile. Once the calamity is over, the power plant is brought back to operational mode by nuclear scientists after assessing the nature of damage caused due to the calamity, if any," he added.

Kalpakkam case

Malhotra cited the example of the Kalpakkam Atomic Power Station in Tamil Nadu when a tsunami hit the area in 2004 to substantiate his case. "I am speaking on the basis of first-hand experience.

One of the power plants at the Kalpakkam Atomic Power Station was already in shutdown mode when the tsunami hit the country in 2004 and the other switched itself off. It was restarted in less than a week after the inspection of the site and equipment," said Malhotra.

"It was found that there was no nuclear fuel leak or damage to the power plant's outer and inner structure despite huge property losses being reported in nearby areas," he added.

Karuna Raina, nuclear and energy campaigner for Greenpeace, did not agree with Malhotra's arguments. "One thing we must understand is that a nuclear power plant is inherently risky. It could have a serious negative impact on human health and, thus, these power plants have to adhere to stringent radiation safety protocols," she said.

u00a0"We may be able to measure the magnitude of the earthquake but the damage to the power plant and any radiation leak will be very spontaneous and could be disastrous.

Moreover, shutting down these power plants causes a huge revenue loss to the country. Most of the nuclear power plants in India are along the coast and they will be affected by calamities like this."

In the city
Mumbai does not have any nuclear power station. There were three research nuclear reactors at Trombay, which included Asia's first nuclear reactor, APSARA, installed in 1956-1957, which is non-operational today as it is undergoing an overhaul. The CIRUS nuclear reactor has been in permanent shutdown mode since December 2010, and only the Dhruva reactor is operational for research purposes.
Four new power plants are being constructed in Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

In Japan
Japan declared a state of atomic power emergency after the earthquake, which caused the automatic shutdown of four nuclear plants closest to the quake. Fire broke out at one of the facilities, the Onagawa plant, but firemen were able to put that fire out, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency. People living within a 3-kilometer radius of the plant were asked to evacuate, while residents living within a zone 3 to 10 kilometers away were asked to stay inside their homes.

Number Game

20
The number of operational nuclear power plants in the country

4,780
The total amount of power (in megawatt) that these plants generate

55
The number of operational nuclear power plants in Japan