Chairman-cum-Managing Director (CMD) of Uranium Corporation of India ltd, D Acharya sounded optimistic about the future of nuclear power plants in India. Acharya, who was here to attend a conference on non-ferrous Minerals & Metals in a brief interview with The Pioneer tried to dispel notions around hazards and risks associated with a nuclear power plant.
Are we prepared to take a leap in the field of uranium based power generationIJ Do we have enough supply to keep the power plants runningIJ
Yes, we are prepared to take a leap in the direction. We are producing 4760 MW of power by using nuclear energy right now. I can say that we are among advanced nations in the field of nuclear science so I believe we can take a leap in the direction and perform well. We have sufficient reserve to keep our nuclear plants running.
The transition from dirty technology to clean technology has not been smooth. India had to face resistance from some countries when it decided to import uranium. Do you think we are somewhere dependent on foreign supply of uranium for our power plantsIJ
This is a wrong notion. We did not face any problem from any country. The arrangement was such that the indigenous units will be run on locally produced uranium and imported uranium will be used for imported units.
The protest against Kudankulam is based on perceived threat from a nuclear power plant. Are we prepared to deal with the hazards associated with nuclear power plants similar to Chernobyl like disasterIJ
Of course we are. One of the important things in the safety measures is to identify the risks, hazards and take steps to mitigate it. But there is always a scope for improvement in whatever steps we take to mitigate risks. Besides we have a dedicated team which works for 24 hours a day to spread awareness among people. Even I also devote 50 percent of my time to CSR (corporate social responsibility) activities.