‘Transparency needed in nuclear projects’

It is important for the country’s atomic energy establishment to be transparent, said Yukiya Amano, director general, International Atomic Energy Agency.

It is important for the country’s atomic energy establishment to be transparent, said Yukiya Amano, director general, International Atomic Energy Agency. “Appropriate information must be passed on to the public,” said Amano on the sidelines of the 21st Indian Nuclear Society (INS) Annual Conference on the Impact of radiation Technology on Human Health and Environment on Monday.

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Marking 25 years since the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, Amano said, “Safety in nuclear plants has improved a lot since then. The safety aspect [of nuclear power plants in India] is under good record. But we cannot be complacent.”

Referring to India’s expanding nuclear programme, Amano pointed out other countries such as China, Japan and Korea are following suit. Of the 61 nuclear reactors presently under construction across the world, 39 are in Asia. “The centre of growth is Asia,” he said.

Former atomic energy commission chairman Anil Kakodkar was awarded the INS Lifetime Achievement Award at the meet.

Talking about India’s implementation of the closed fuel cycle, which includes reprocessing of nuclear spent fuel and waste management, Kakodar said other countries should adopt the same. He also said that the country’s rising energy demands would in turn increase the demand on global resources. “We should therefore quickly enhance our access to the global uranium resource.”