No nuke reactor in the world is 100pc risk proof, says Russian expert

Chennai:
While Indian nuclear scientists are working towards 100 per cent risk
proof nuclear reactors, a top Russian nuclear scientist says no
nuclear plant in the world is risk proof.
Admitting to technical glitches in the first atomic power unit's
turbine at Kudankulam, leading nuclear expert as well as professor and
reader from Russian Federal University Nuclear Energy department Oleg
Tashlykov told reporters that it was a positive sign that before
something could have happened the unit was stopped.
He said it was good that before the commercial launch of the reactor
the defect was detected and rejected accusations on the safety of VVER
atomic reactors. He said when the reactor is introduced in another
country, it undergoes one year trial before starting the commercial
operations.
He said the reactor has safety system in place to prevent bigger
accidents. His statement comes in the wake of the components of the
turbine of the first unit of Kudankulam suffered technical glitches.
Currently, the reactor has started functioning. He also said the
lifespan of Kudankulam reactor is 40 years before being
decommissioned. But it also has features where the lifespan of the
reactor could be increased by another 20 years by further development.
Michael J Gorbatov, vice consul of Consulate general of Russia and
director of Russian Centre of Science and Culture said that there are
no zero risk projects in the world. He said that Tamil Nadu could
become a major producer of nuclear power in the country with the
addition of more nuclear plants.
He also said that Russia is against the liability clause as it was not
there when the agreement was signed. “This will make the deal
expensive for Russia,” he said.
However, he said in India there has been no large catastrophe in the
last 20 years and after Fukushima incident the risks have been taken
into consideration.
To a query on Germany phasing out nuclear reactors post Fukushima
incident, Tashlykov said that renewable energy like solar is still
costly. Nuclear energy is still affordable. “Nearly 30 per cent of
power needs of Russia are met through nuclear energy. Even France is
planning to add new reactors. He Fukushima incident has not changed
the global plans for nuclear power development,” he said.
He also said that usually Russia takes back the spent fuel from the
countries where it has set its reactor. He said that Russia has 200
tonnes of nuclear waste which is being kept in temporary shelters. “We
are looking at a new site before 2030 so that we can store the nuclear
waste,” he said. He said 96 per cent of the spent fuel from the VVER
reactor is reused while the four per cent is stored in a glass.
Interestingly, Russia is in awe of India’s fast breeder nuclear
technology. “We were quite surprised by the development in India.
India is the leader in fast breeder technology. It is a crucial part
of India’s nuclear strategy,” said the nuclear scientist. Russian
plans to add 15 nuclear reactors by 2030 besides building 30 new
reactors globally.