Eminent nuclear scientist Anil Kakodkar will inaugurate an international conference on water desalination, treatment and management here today (Thursday), bringing together experts, technocrats, policy-makers and suppliers to deliberate on the issues concerning technical and execution aspects of water management schemes.

Mr. Kakodkar--Homi Bhabha Chair Professor in the Department of Atomic Energy and Atomic Energy Commission Member--is expected to throw light on the operations of the DAE's nuclear desalination hybrid plant attached to the Kalpakkam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.

She also wants entire power from Kudankulam project to be dedicated to Tamil Nadu

Foreseeing a worsening of power crisis, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa on Tuesday wrote to the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh seeking allocation of 2,830 MW of power from Central generating stations to the State as an interim arrangement and dedicate the entire power from the Kudankulam nuclear power project to Tamil Nadu. In her letter to Dr. Manmohan Singh, Ms. Jayalalithaa said the State was going through a severe power crisis of a magnitude unprecedented in recent memory. While the demand was about 12,000 MW, supply was only about 8,000 MW, leaving a gap of 4,000 MW.

Keen on avoiding community opposition of the kind seen for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) will launch a sensitisation initiative ahead of starting work on two more 500 MW reactors in Kalpakkam, IGCAR Director S. C. Chetal said on Wednesday.

Addressing the media on the sidelines of the three-day national symposium on radiation physics, hosted by the Indian Society for Radiation Physics (ISRP), Mr. Chetal said the series of public hearings would seek to address the often unfounded radiation-related fears in the minds of the local population before proceeding with the new fast-breeder reactors.

The cyclone has left two people dead so far

The coastal districts of Tamil Nadu were hit by Cyclone Nilam this evening. With wind speeds of up to 100 km/hour, it severely affected many areas in Tamil Nadu, as well as Andhra Pradesh. According to PTI reports, the cyclone left two people dead. Most industrial houses, schools and offices in the coastal districts were closed on Wednesday. Heavy winds damaged roads here, as well as those in other coastal areas. Power cuts were also reported. Initial estimates pegged economic losses from the storm at Rs 70-80 crore. Government officials said the figure was expected to rise.

Plant is designed to withstand wind velocity of 160 kmph, Met office has forecast maximum surface wind speed of 45-110 kmph

With cyclone 'Nilam' intensifying into a severe storm, Madras Atomic Power Station at coastal Kalpakkam today said the situation was being "closely watched" and asserted the plant is designed to withstand a wind velocity of 160 kmph. Presently, both the reactors at MAPS were operating "safely", its Director K Ramamurthy said in a statement as 'Nilam' cyclone was expected to cross Tamil Nadu-Andhra Coast close to Chennai this evening.

TPDK, VHP members stage demonstrations

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) will help improve power supply in Tamil Nadu, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, Personnel, Public Grievances, and Pensions, V. Narayanasamy, said here on Monday. Inaugurating a conference organised by the Southern India Mills Association, he said Tamil Nadu faced 4,000 MW shortage in power resulting in six to seven hours of power cut a day in several parts of the State.

Fukushima is a lesson to be learnt but not to be afraid of, as nuclear energy is inevitable for the progress of the nation, M. Sai Baba, Associate Director of Resources Management Group at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam, has said.

Interacting with the media at a workshop on media awareness on nuclear energy organised by the Centre for Science Communication and Directorate of Public Relations and Publications at Cochin University of Science and Technology on Thursday, Dr. Baba said that the Fukushima incident has shown that “we need to have certain safety regulations”.

Chief Minister announces measures to tide over crisis

Faced with flak from all quarters over the government’s handling of the energy crisis, Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on Wednesday said that the State had sought an additional 500 MW of power from the central power generation stations in the southern region. The government had also placed a request for allocation of as much power as possible from the un-allotted quota of 300 MW from the Kalpakkam atomic power station and 75 MW from Neyveli Lignite Corporation, both in Tamil Nadu, he said.

The manned mission to moon by 2020 will pave way for tapping energy-rich helium-3 available in abundance on the satellite, said A. Sivathanu Pillai, Distinguished Scientist and Chief Controller, Defence Research and Development Organisation.

Energy generated through fusion process using helium-3 will be several fold higher than the fission method in vogue, he said, delivering the Bharat Ratna Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Endowment Lecture at St. Joseph’s College on Thursday. The endowment was instituted by the faculty of Department of Physics, donors, well-wishers and alumni.

Mumbai’s Tata Memorial Centre has begun work to set up a community-based cancer registry and carry out health surveys to document the precise occurrence of cancer, birth defects and other illnesses