(a) the details of nuclear plants in the country including the age of each nuclear plant;
(b) the details of multi-safety mechanism being implemented by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) and the details of periodic safety review being done for all nuclear reactors in the country as per AERB requirements;
(c) the status of new nuclear plants in the country including the one in Andhra Pradesh?
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (DR.JITENDRA SINGH):
(a) The details are attached as Annexure.
(b) A multi-tier safety mechanism comprising safety review committees within Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and safety review committees in the regulatory authority (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board- AERB) is in place to monitor the safety of nuclear power plants. In addition, a framework of periodic safety reviews, audits and inspection is in place, for providing assurance of safety.
All Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs) are required to undergo a comprehensive Periodic Safety Review (PSR) as per AERB requirements every 10 years. During PSR, the safety of the plant is assessed considering cumulative effects of ageing, plant modifications, operating experience as well as comparison with the current safety standards/ practices, and necessary upgrades are identified. Based on these reviews and operating experience feedback, necessary upgrades are carried out and the nuclear power plants are maintained at state-of-the-art in terms of safety.
(c) At present, there are eleven nuclear power reactors totalling 8700 MW capacity at various stages of construction. In addition, pre-project activities are undertaken for ten reactors totalling 7000 MW capacity. In respect of the reactors proposed to be set up at Kovvada in Srikakulam district of Andhra Pradesh, pre-project activities at the site and discussions with M/s Westinghouse (WEC) of USA are underwayto arrive at a viable project proposal.
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