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Scrap Jaitapur project chorus gets shriller
Expressing concern over safety of the proposed nuclear reactors at Jaitapur a group of political leaders have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding cancellation of the proposed nuclear reactor project at Jaitapur by expressing concern over safety.
The leaders on behalf of National Committee in solidarity with Jaitapur struggle claimed that the project has not been subjected to an independent rigorous scientific techno-economic scrutiny and safety audit in public domain. At the same time they have also suggested to check the financial credentials of the French company building the project.
“We are deeply concerned that both the Central Government and the Government of Maharashtra do not seem to have paid due attention to the serious objections regarding the safety of the proposed Areva reactors and its costs raised by experts, parliamentarians, public figures and the local people,” the letter said.
The letter, written on behalf of the ‘National Committee in solidarity with Jaitapur struggle’, was signed by Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury of CPI(M), A B Bardhan and D Raja of CPI, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, Nama Nageswara Rao (TDP) and K Danish Ali (JD-S).
“It is being pushed against the will of the local people. The ‘conditional’ environmental clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in November 2010 is also based on an unscientific and deeply flawed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report,” the letter said.
The leaders said that the environmental clearance had not considered seriously the main environmental issues and expressed doubts over the suitability if the agency that had been chosen to prepare the Environment assessment. “NEERI, the agency engaged to prepare the EIA, is admittedly not competent on matters concerning nuclear hazards,” the leaders said in the letter
dated August 17.
“The Environmental Clearance is subject to clearance by the AERB on matters concerning nuclear energy. We understand that AERB is yet to consider and approve the design of the Areva Reactor,” the letter said. The leaders have also claimed that recent statutory disclosures showed that the company building the Jaitapur Nuclear reactors was also in deep financial trouble.
“The Areva group debt stood at Euro 2.77 billion ($3.75 billion) in June 2011. Areva’s operating loss for the year 2011 is more than 2 billion Euros,” the leaders claimed.
In the letter, the group of leaders also said that the “untested design”of the 1650 MWe European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) of the company Areva had caused serious concerns among the nuclear safety agencies of different countries.
“There are reliable reports that an internal audit of the French nuclear industry has criticised Areva and Electricity de France (EDF) for the undue complexity of EPR and that EDF itself may be planning to discontinue the EPR design,” the letter said.
The leaders also said that there were significant cost and time over-runs for the Areva EPR reactors and claimed that the first two EPRs under construction in Finland and France were yet to be commissioned and had been delayed by more than four years due to technical and safety issues. The letter said that the EPR project at Penly in France has been put on hold indefinitely.
“The initial cost of 3 billion Euros had proved to be a gross underestimation. The costs have already risen to well over 7 billion Euros for Olkiluoto (Finland) as well as Flamanville in France,” the letter to the PM said, adding Areva share price have fallen to 1/10th of its value between 2007 and 2012.
The leaders said that Siemens, the major technology partner of Areva, has announced its exit from the nuclear power business to focus on the alternative power sources in line with the plans of the German government. “There are also reports that EDF and Areva have joined hands with a Chinese firm to develop a new reactor of 1000 MWe to replace the EPR in the long run,” the leaders said.
“In view of the above developments it is unlikely that the Areva EPR would today pass even an elementary test of techno-economic due diligence,” they claimed in the letter. The leaders also claimed that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited had refused to disclose the costs and resultant tariff from the Jaitapur plant for which there was no justification.
“Our own calculations based on available information show that the investment cost for JNPP would be in excess of Rs 20 crores per MW, which is unacceptable. This would result in electricity tariff of not less than Rs 9 per unit at current prices,” the leaders said in the letter to the PM. They said that the plan was not viable, and would impose very high rates of tariff for Maharashtra and
other consumers.
The letter also questioned the wisdom of putting up 6 reactors in Jaitapur after the Fukushima disaster had raised questions about the co-location of multiple nuclear reactors at a single location. Stating that the once the plant commences operations, the vast store of spent fuel produced will become a long-term hazard, the leaders said that it did not appear that NPCIL has made any plans to address this issue.
Expressing concern over safety of the proposed nuclear reactors at Jaitapur a group of political leaders have written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding cancellation of the proposed nuclear reactor project at Jaitapur by expressing concern over safety.
The leaders on behalf of National Committee in solidarity with Jaitapur struggle claimed that the project has not been subjected to an independent rigorous scientific techno-economic scrutiny and safety audit in public domain. At the same time they have also suggested to check the financial credentials of the French company building the project.
“We are deeply concerned that both the Central Government and the Government of Maharashtra do not seem to have paid due attention to the serious objections regarding the safety of the proposed Areva reactors and its costs raised by experts, parliamentarians, public figures and the local people,” the letter said.
The letter, written on behalf of the ‘National Committee in solidarity with Jaitapur struggle’, was signed by Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury of CPI(M), A B Bardhan and D Raja of CPI, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan, Nama Nageswara Rao (TDP) and K Danish Ali (JD-S).
“It is being pushed against the will of the local people. The ‘conditional’ environmental clearance granted by the Ministry of Environment and Forest in November 2010 is also based on an unscientific and deeply flawed Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Report,” the letter said.
The leaders said that the environmental clearance had not considered seriously the main environmental issues and expressed doubts over the suitability if the agency that had been chosen to prepare the Environment assessment. “NEERI, the agency engaged to prepare the EIA, is admittedly not competent on matters concerning nuclear hazards,” the leaders said in the letter
dated August 17.
“The Environmental Clearance is subject to clearance by the AERB on matters concerning nuclear energy. We understand that AERB is yet to consider and approve the design of the Areva Reactor,” the letter said. The leaders have also claimed that recent statutory disclosures showed that the company building the Jaitapur Nuclear reactors was also in deep financial trouble.
“The Areva group debt stood at Euro 2.77 billion ($3.75 billion) in June 2011. Areva’s operating loss for the year 2011 is more than 2 billion Euros,” the leaders claimed.
In the letter, the group of leaders also said that the “untested design”of the 1650 MWe European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) of the company Areva had caused serious concerns among the nuclear safety agencies of different countries.
“There are reliable reports that an internal audit of the French nuclear industry has criticised Areva and Electricity de France (EDF) for the undue complexity of EPR and that EDF itself may be planning to discontinue the EPR design,” the letter said.
The leaders also said that there were significant cost and time over-runs for the Areva EPR reactors and claimed that the first two EPRs under construction in Finland and France were yet to be commissioned and had been delayed by more than four years due to technical and safety issues. The letter said that the EPR project at Penly in France has been put on hold indefinitely.
“The initial cost of 3 billion Euros had proved to be a gross underestimation. The costs have already risen to well over 7 billion Euros for Olkiluoto (Finland) as well as Flamanville in France,” the letter to the PM said, adding Areva share price have fallen to 1/10th of its value between 2007 and 2012.
The leaders said that Siemens, the major technology partner of Areva, has announced its exit from the nuclear power business to focus on the alternative power sources in line with the plans of the German government. “There are also reports that EDF and Areva have joined hands with a Chinese firm to develop a new reactor of 1000 MWe to replace the EPR in the long run,” the leaders said.
“In view of the above developments it is unlikely that the Areva EPR would today pass even an elementary test of techno-economic due diligence,” they claimed in the letter. The leaders also claimed that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited had refused to disclose the costs and resultant tariff from the Jaitapur plant for which there was no justification.
“Our own calculations based on available information show that the investment cost for JNPP would be in excess of Rs 20 crores per MW, which is unacceptable. This would result in electricity tariff of not less than Rs 9 per unit at current prices,” the leaders said in the letter to the PM. They said that the plan was not viable, and would impose very high rates of tariff for Maharashtra and
other consumers.
The letter also questioned the wisdom of putting up 6 reactors in Jaitapur after the Fukushima disaster had raised questions about the co-location of multiple nuclear reactors at a single location. Stating that the once the plant commences operations, the vast store of spent fuel produced will become a long-term hazard, the leaders said that it did not appear that NPCIL has made any plans to address this issue.
