In the interest of the public safety, health and welfare of Tamil Nadu people, action may be taken to transport back the Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) at the Kudankulam Nuclear Project in Tirunelvei district to Russia, the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Six nuclear power reactors of 1,000 MW are envisaged in this project. Units 1 and 2 have already been commissioned; units 3 and 4 are under construction and units 5 and 6 are yet to be established. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd proposes to construct ‘Away from Reactor’ (AFR) facilities in the nuclear power plant site itself to store SNF generated from all the six reactors.

When the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change had earlier accorded permission to Units 1 and 2, the agreement was to collect and store the spent fuel temporarily within the unit’s premises (at reactor) and then send it back to the country of origin, Russia.

‘No consultation with State govt’

However, it was subsequently decided to store the SNF permanently in the AFR facility to be located within the unit premises. This decision was taken without consulting the State government, Stalin said in a letter to Prime Minister on Friday.

“I share and convey the deep concern and apprehensions of the people of Tamil Nadu, including various political parties, regarding the hazards and potential danger of the AFR storage facility of the SNF within the plant premises,” Stalin said.

Several such facilities across the world have faced accidents, leading to disastrous impacts on the environment and the people residing in and around such plants. The local people are apprehensive of the fallouts and have been protesting against the AFR facilities within the complex, he said.

“I request that in the interest of public safety, health and welfare of the people of Tamil Nadu, action may be taken to transport back the SNF to Russia. This must not only be for units 1 & 2, but also for the subsequent four units. In case this is not a feasible option, the spent fuel may be permanently stored in a deep geological repository in an uninhabited and ecologically non-sensitive area,” Stalin said in the letter.

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