Koodankulam plant not governed by nuke liability law

Chennai:

The two 1,000 MW reactors of Koodankulam plant are not governed by the nuclear liability law as the agreement signed with Russia in 1988 did not have any such provisions..

 The agreement with Russia was signed in 1988 when there was no civil nuclear liability law in India. The agreement has some indemnification clause, said member and former chairman of atomic energy commission M R Srinivasan, who had inked the then historic agreement between India and Russia as a witness.

India’s nuclear liability legislation caps the operator’s liability at Rs.1,500 crore ($331 million).

Srinivasan also said the agreement for importing third and fourth reactors from Russia is yet to be signed and he was not able to comment whether they will fall under the civil liability legislation.

To a query will the agreement be amended following the protests in Koodankulam, he said it has already been signed.