Question : CONFERENCE ON NUCLEAR ENERGY

(a) the details of the International Conference on nuclear energy in which India participated during the last three years; and

(b) the outcome of each conference?

THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR PERSONNEL, PUBLIC GRIEVANCES & PENSIONS AND PRIME MINISTER’S OFFICE (SHRI V. NARAYANASAMY) :

(a) India has participated in the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety (Vienna, Austria, June, 2011), the Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety (Fukushima, Japan, December, 2012), and the International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century (St. Petersburg, Russia, June, 2013).

(b) The IAEA Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety held in June 2011 called for improvements in global nuclear safety. The Ministers asked the Director General to prepare a draft Action Plan on Nuclear Safety to address issues related to nuclear safety, emergency preparedness and response and radiation protection of people and the environment, as well as the international legal framework.

The Fukushima Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Safety convened in December, 2012 stressed that nuclear safety is a prerequisite for the peaceful uses of nuclear energy that strengthening nuclear safety is a continuous process and that there should be no complacency in safety matters. It emphasised the importance of strengthening the IAEA`s central role in international efforts to enhance global nuclear safety, underlining the Agency`s Safety Standards and the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety. It also emphasised that nuclear power plants should be designed, constructed and operated with the objective of preventing accidents, and, should an accident occur, mitigating its effects and especially avoiding off-site contamination.

The International Ministerial Conference on Nuclear Power in the 21st Century held in June, 2013, recognised that nuclear power, as a stable base-load source of electricity, complements other energy sources including renewables. While reiterating the need for high levels of nuclear safety, it acknowledged that global nuclear safety had been strengthened through comprehensive safety reassessments by IAEA Member States, and through additional measures to improve plant safety, regulatory oversight, emergency preparedness and international collaboration. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to the IAEA Action Plan on Nuclear Safety to strengthen the global nuclear safety framework, and emphasised the IAEA`s central role in international cooperation on nuclear safety and the peaceful use of nuclear energy, including the generation of electricity.