April 20, 20134Beset with corruption and sub-standard equipments, Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) is not safe. People’s life is at stake. It should be scrapped
M.G.Devasahayam, Convener, PMANE Expert Group
A well known fact in the informed circles, but suppressed from the public and media by deceitful means, is that Prime Minister’s Office has become the hub and conduit of all the massive corruption scandals – Commonwealth Games, 2G Spectrum, Coalgate, Augusta Westland to mention a few - that have surfaced in recent times. These concern departments and entities that do not come under the direct control of PMO.
But the super-secretive nuclear establishment in the country in its entirety – Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCL)– comes directly under the command and control of the PMO. One has only been imagining what kind of scams and scandals have been happening in this establishment which is under the protective cover of secrecy.
Not anymore. The massive scam in the KKNPP involving corruption and substandard material used in construction of Reactor as well as quality of equipments and parts used in the plant have been revealed in Russia, the supplier country and widely reported in the media there. Despite this India’s nuclear establishment, acting under duress from the PMO is doggedly pursuing the destructive path of ‘commissioning’ the KKNPP solely for the purpose of propitiating their ‘Russian masters’!
This has resulted in repeated SOS messages emanating from the farmers and fisher-folk living in the close vicinity of KKNPP. There have been numerous instances wherein these folks have been frightened by inexplicable and sudden noises and explosive sounds from the KKNPP plants. The total lack of transparency regarding the goings on in KKNPP has created a situation wherein there is fear and panic. This has led to repeated SOS messages emanating from the farmers and fisher-folk living in the close vicinity of KKNPP.
These desperate cries of SOS have not moved the heartless government in New Delhi. Instead, Prime Minister of this country that calls itself a democracy, at a humiliating meeting at Durban with Russian President Vladimir Putin after he was made to wait for over one hour, promises to immediately commission the KKNPP, that is yet to be cleared by Supreme Court, AERB and Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF)! Can there be a bigger shame to any nation and its people?
Substandard material/components used in the KKNPP reactors have huge ramifications on the safety of the plant. This fact is evident from the inordinate delay in commissioning of the plant that has very little to do with the public protest against which most draconian oppressive measures like sedition/treason laws, Goondas Act, curfew, lathi-charge and tear-gas, raids and sealing of NGO accounts were let loose by the Intelligence Bureau, CBI, FCRA and the state police. The delays actually are the result of severe technical snags which are being concealed from the public.
The full systems hydro-test conducted by NPCIL for KKNPP 1 in November/December 2012 was a failure caused by valves that did not perform as per specifications. In January 2013 AERB directed NPCIL to redo the test. As of now no progress seems to have been made by NPCIL in fixing the glitches. Dr. M.R. Srinivasan, current Atomic Energy Commission Member, is on record to have confessed that additional safety mechanisms consisting of valves were installed before Fukushima disaster. For this purpose the original reactor design was altered, valves partially designed in India and Russia fitted leading to compatibility issues and ‘hiccups.’
Nothing is known as to whether KKNPP 1 performed satisfactorily in the second full-system hydro test! And long last AERB has conceded in a terse press note issued on 19 April 2013: “The test results at the current stage of commissioning for various systems are seen to be within the acceptable limits. However, during testing of thousands of valves installed in the plant, the performance of four valves of a particular type was found deficient. As corrective measures, the valve components are being replaced by NPCL and their performance is further being subjected to regulatory review. Subsequent clearance will be granted by AERB only after a satisfactory review.”
After KKNPP Unit 1's failure in the first full-system hydro test in December, news reports explained that certain valves were opened up and repaired, and some “minor” components replaced. Equipment such as valves is critical components in a nuclear power plant. A valve that malfunctions during an emergency situation can easily escalate the magnitude of the problem. Unless subjected to rigorous quality check at the procurement stage, defective valves may manifest their problems only in later stages of their lives. The fact that brand new valves – more than one – were malfunctioning raises questions about the quality of the equipment. Detection of these defective valves at this late stage even during second hydro-test suggests that quality assurance of individual components was deficient. Taken together, this indicates grave problems with both the supplier and the buyer.
The disturbing facts regarding safety lapses in KKNPP leads to even more frightening inferences when seen alongside certain revelations of corruption in the Russian nuclear industry. In February 2012, KGB’s successor Federal Security Service (FSB) arrested Sergei Shutov, the procurement director of Rosatom subsidiary Zio-Podolsk, on charges of corruption and fraud. Zio-Podolsk, a machine works company, is the sole supplier of steam generators and certain other key components for Russian nuclear reactors worldwide. The FSB has charged Shutov with sourcing sub-standard steel blanks from Ukraine instead of the prescribed quality of steel. Equipment manufactured with cheap Ukrainian steel have been used in nuclear reactors built by the Russians in Russia, Bulgaria, Iran, China and India. The dangers of such substandard equipment and construction were made evident on July 17, 2011, when the containment building of the Leningrad NPP-2 reactor which was under construction collapsed exposing the crumbling of steel structures. KKNPP is the only nuclear plant constructed during this period by Russians. While other countries have taken action India has succumbed to Russian pressure due to corruption at high levels.
Now Dr. A. Gopalakrishnan, former chairperson, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board, and India’s foremost nuclear expert in his edit-page Article titled “Resolve Koodankulam issues” published in today’s New Indian Express has confirmed and endorsed the growing public fear and concern over implications of the use of low-quality material and substandard components on KKNPP's integrity and ability to react suitably during emergency situations.
(http://newindianexpress.com/opinion/Resolve-Koodankulam-issues/2013/04/19/article1551164.ece) He also referred to the fact that the Chinese Government had approached Rosatom for re-verification of quality of components, supplied by the Russians for the two VVER-1000 reactors they supplied, after learning of the corruption scandal. The Indian Government, meanwhile, continues to adopt a servile and subservient attitude towards Russians, without any regard for lives and livelihoods of our own people.
What has been written by this veteran and respected nuclear expert is in line with the observation made by the Supreme Court in October 2012 during the preliminary hearing on the issues raised against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP): “We are concerned more about people’s safety than the money spent on the project.”
As it is KKNPP suffers from several violations of environmental, safety, coastal and disaster management laws. The original Inter-Governmental Agreement with the erstwhile USSR to set up the two 1000MWe VVRS nuclear reactors was signed on the premise that the spent fuel from the project would be shipped back to USSR for treatment and disposal. Accordingly Union Ministry of Environment & Forests (MoEF) issued Environment Clearance (EC) on 09-05-1989. Based on this EC, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) issued site clearance for the project on 10-11-1989 meaning that when EC was issued, the plant site had not even been finalised! This is gross illegality.
In the Supplemental Agreement signed with Russia in May, 1998, DAE changed the basic scope of the project by agreeing to retain the spent-fuel in India probably within the plant itself. Since spent fuel is highly radioactive and very toxic, its handling and storage involves very high risks and serious environmental implications. Due to these changed conditions DAE should have approached MoEF for a fresh EC which it failed to do. Instead NPCL went ahead with the construction of the project in violation of Environment Protection Act, 1986 (EPA). This was a serious statutory violation that called for cancellation of EC and stoppage of construction of the project. This was not done by the MoEF and the construction commenced and continued.
When the EC was issued, it was assumed that cooling water for the project would be drawn from Pechiparai reservoir in Kanyakumari District, whereas the source was later changed to a seawater desalination plant. This substantial change in fresh-water source would make it necessary for DAE to approach MoEF for clearance under CRZ Rules. There was further urgency because under the 1998 agreement high-quality fresh water was critical to keep the spent-fuel in safe storage. But no CRZ approval was even applied for and NPCIL went ahead with the construction of the huge desalination plants in utter violation of all environmental laws, rules and norms.
Project construction should not have started without prior Consent for Establishment (CFE) of the nuclear reactors at Kudankulam. NPCIL applied for CFE as an afterthought on 30-12-2001 and Tamil Nadu Pollution Control Board (TNPCB) granted it on 25-02-2004 without any application of mind. This defeated the very purpose of CFE and its relevance to safety and environmental conservation aspects. Thus, the project as it stands today is the outcome of several illegalities that impinge on the local environment as well as the health and the safety of the people living in its vicinity.
It appears that NPCIL has not carried out risk analysis for the worst case scenario based on Fukushima experience to assess the consequences up to 30km and even beyond depending on the direction and velocity of wind. From the time of the original EC in 1989, the local conditions such as population growth have changed significantly and such studies are imperative to understand the implications of an accident. In the absence of such a comprehensive analysis, it will be unsafe to start the reactor units.
As the initiator of the project, DAE should have reviewed the safety norms of KKNPP on the basis of Fukushima experience and redefined the boundaries of the Emergency Plan zoning system to bring the same in line with international best practice and the guidelines formulated by the International Atomic Energy Agency. This has not been done.
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), created post-Tsunami 2004, is a statutory body chaired by the PM himself that has issued unambiguous guidelines on the institutional structures to be set up for handling nuclear accidents. This calls for State-level and District-level DMAs, providing nuclear shelters for the affected people, hospitals for medical care as well as training and orientation to the officials, local Gram Sabhas and the project affected people (PAP) to respond immediately to disasters and evacuate to safer places in case of accidents. None of these seem to have been complied with.
Though the Government and the Russians claims that KKNPP is 100% safe or ‘safest in the world’ yet the Russian reactor manufacturer company does not trust its own reactor and has refused to share any part of civil liability in case of an accident due to defect in the reactor. Government of India (to appease that Russian company and Russian Government) has signed an agreement with Russia stating that in case of an accident the public exchequer or the tax payers would foot the bill (that might run into lakhs of crores of rupees) while the Russians would be indemnified.
AERB as it functions is not an independent regulatory body. Comptroller & Auditor General of India (CAG) has come out with a scathing report about the ‘lapses in safety measures’ by the AERB posing ‘grave threats.’ CAG has highlighted several lapses by AERB: Non-preparation of a nuclear and radiation policy; no safety documents as recommended by two expert committees; no decommissioning plan which is extremely critical for public safety and non-adoption of international safety standards and practices.
Typical example of AERB’s servility is the fact that NPCL was allowed to go ahead with fuel loading without implementing the 17 safety measures recommended by the post-Fukushima taskforce appointed by the Government of India. For several months NPCL has been telling AERB that it would implement these 17 safety measures by October-November 2012. AERB counsel stated before the Madras High Court that these 17 measures would have to be implemented before any further clearance was given. However, on 10.08.2012, AERB gave initial fuel-loading clearance even while 11 of these safety recommendations were yet to be implemented. NPCIL, without any consideration for people’s safety as observed by Supreme Court went full-throttle in fuel loading and AERB has fully acquiesced to this!
After receiving Supreme Court rub, NPCIL vide its letter dated 29/11/2012, has applied for post-facto CRZ clearance with the Tamil Nadu Coastal Zone Management Authority for a desalination plant already constructed by it. NPCIL sought clearance for the desalination plant, submitting documents required as per Clause 4.2 of the CRZ Notification, 2011. This clearance is being requested for a unit that had already been constructed in violation of CRZ Notification, 1991, as no permission was sought or obtained under this Notification. The fresh application is still pending with the MoEF and activists and experts have sent joint representation to the Ministry stating that it would be blatantly illegal to grant post-facto approval at this stage.
As for as the safety of KKNPP is concerned Dr. Gopalakrishnan is of the view that there could be a large number of equipment, components and materials of substandard quality from ZiO-Podolsk already installed in various parts of KKNP- 1 & 2 whose deficiencies and defects are dormant today, but these very same shortcomings may cause such parts to catastrophically fail when the reactor is operated for some time.
According to him many such parts and materials may have been installed within the reactor pressure vessel itself, which is now closed and sealed in preparation for the start-up. Once the reactor is made critical and reaches power operation, much of these components and materials inside will become radioactive and/or will be in environments where they cannot be properly tested for quality or performance.
Under the circumstances, KKNP Unit-1 commissioning and KKNP-2 construction work must be stopped forthwith, and there can be no question of resuming these works towards start-up of both these reactors until a thorough and impartial investigation is carried out into the impact of this corruption scandal and sub-standard supplies on the safety of these reactors. Dr. Gopalakrishnan wants these investigations t be carried out by a team, where majority membership must not be from DAE , NPCIL and AERB, but include subject experts from other organisations in the country. He also urges Government to seriously consider inviting an IAEA expert team specially constituted to investigate the specific issues which this scandal has thrown up.
In the event following steps become imperative and most urgent:
1. Compile a complete list of equipment , subsystems , components, and materials directly or indirectly supplied from Zio-Podolsk , with details of qualification tests done by specialists from Zio-Podolsk , Atomstroexport, NPCIL , or any other authorized agency , and each material’s or part’s or equipment’s current specific location in the reactor and uploaded the same on to the NPCIL / AERB website,
2. NPCIL must openly declare as to whether or not they made use of impartial third party verification of all Russian supplies coming into KKNPP reactors and , if done, the details of such inspections. If not, why not.
3. Whole reactor system should be opened up for re-test by an Independent Group of Experts of high repute not associated with DAE/NPCIL. Russian and IAEA multi-national specialists could also be co-opted a case-to-case basis. People living in the vicinity of KKNPP or their representatives must be allowed to interact with the Expert Group thus constituted.
4. Public Hearings must be conducted to inform the local people about a summary of all the findings and the conclusions , before a decision is taken to continue the commissioning / construction activities at the Kudankulam site.
5. Nuclear establishment should reveal the role played by PMO and Russian government in this sordid episode
6. A complaint with CBI, South Zone Office at Chennai has already been filed in the matter. A Special Investigating Team should be constituted to thoroughly investigate the cases of serious corruption and money laundering in the supply and receipt of plant and equipment associated with KKNPP.
Corruption and sub-standard material used in KKNPP could result in cataclysmic events and large-scale death and destruction. This has made the project untenable, unviable, undesirable and unacceptable. There is no option except to scrap it in its present form and seriously to look at alternatives that are available in the vicinity itself.
If this genuine SOS is not heeded and acted upon forthwith PMO would be virtually passing death sentence on a vast population living in the southern-most part of India! And if God-forbid some mishap happens in the plant leading to accident, Government and the nuclear establishment will have no place to hide!