The European Union’s energy chief may have declared that the bloc’s 143 nuclear power stations are “satisfactory” but a report on the state of each of those nuclear reactors has pointed to hundreds of problems was presented to EU three days ago in Brussels. The report suggests that the problems to be sorted out at the reactors could cost up to $40 billion or about `2 lakh crores.

The report, commissioned after the Fukushima disaster in 2011, stated, “On the basis of the stress test results, practically all nuclear plants need to undergo safety improvements. Hundreds of technical upgrade measures have already been identified.”

The safety of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant and storage of nuclear waste is of prime concern that should be addressed by the Union Government, the Supreme Court told the Centre on Thursday.

Hearing petitions relating to the plant, a Bench of Justices K. S. Radhakrishnan and Deepak Misra told Attorney-General G. E. Vahanvati, Solicitor-General Rohinton Nariman and Additional Solicitor-General Mohan Parasaran, “From the first day, we are saying that safety is the most important issue, people’s lives should be protected.”

Kudankulam plant is absolutely safe even without the 17 recommendations of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, says NPCIL

During a hearing in the Supreme Court on Thursday on petitions related to the Kudankulam plant, Prashant Bhushan, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the plant got a vague environmental clearance in 1989 when the site was not decided, no Environment Impact Assessment was done and no public hearing was conducted which was mandatory under law. He said three critical changes were made in the plant.

The U.N.

Kottar diocese Bishop Peter Remugius has urged the State as well as the Centre to take immediate steps to allay the fear among the fisherfolk regarding the commissioning of the nuclear plant at Kudankulam.

When he was contacted about his stand on the power project as the fishermen from the eastern coast had stayed off the sea for the 14th day today, the bishop said it was unfair on the part of the police to resort to lathi charge and bursting of tear gas shells against fishermen at Idinthakarai.

Of 17 recommendations of AERB, only six have been complied with, he says

The safety measures recommended by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) are crucial and the Kudankulam nuclear power plant should not be allowed to be commissioned without implementing these measures, argued counsel Prashant Bhushan in the Supreme Court on Thursday. Appearing for petitioner G. Sundararajan, social activist, he submitted before a Bench of Justices K.S. Radhakrishnan and Dipak Misra that the AERB had recommended 17 safety measures, of which only six were complied with and 11 yet to be put in place.

New Delhi, 18 Sept: A team of global nuclear watchdog IAEA will visit Rajasthan in November to conduct an in-depth operational safety review of two atomic power plants there, the first such exercis

Petition says plant should be governed by principle of ‘absolute liability, polluter pays’

A fresh writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court, contending that the Kudankulam nuclear power plant could not be commissioned without resolving the issue of Russia’s liability in case of an accident. The public interest litigation petition sought a declaration that the plant, in Tirunelveli district, would be governed by the law of the land, as laid down by the Supreme Court: the ‘absolute liability’ and ‘polluter pays’ principle.

Days after the Supreme Court was moved for disbanding the controversial Koodankulam nuclear power project, a new plea was filed in the top court on Monday seeking direction that the Russian company involved in setting up of the plant in Tamil Nadu pay damages in the event of an accident.

The Public Interest Litigation (PIL), which is likely to come up for hearing on Thursday, states that the Koodankulam nuclear plant should be governed by the law of the land, i.e., the Constitutional principles of absolute liability and the polluter-pays principle.