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India has been under pressure to look at the high risks of nuclear energy
By Nita Bhalla
NEW DELHI (AlertNet) - A safety review of India's nuclear plants, following the fallout from the earthquake and tsunami in Japan, has found that the country's rapidly emerging power stations would be able to withstand "extreme natural events" like tsunamis, cyclones, floods and dam breaks, the Times of India reported on Thursday.
With an energy deficit of about 12 percent, power-starved India is rapidly establishing nuclear plants to fuel its economic growth. It currently has 22 plants across the country and at least six more are on the way.
But after industrialised, well-prepared Japan struggled to contain the nuclear emergency at the Fukushima Daiichi plant after the quake and tsunami in March, India has been under pressure to look at the merits of its own nuclear energy plans and the high risks it poses.
According to the report, the government told parliament on Wednesday that the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) had set up six taskforces to review safety features in Indian nuclear plants.
"These taskforces have revisited the safety of all nuclear power plants and found that Indian nuclear power reactors have sufficient margins and features in the design to withstand high intensity earthquakes and tsunami," the report quoted a government statement as saying.
"Safety is a moving target and its upgradation is an ongoing exercise. The features, systems and procedures are periodically reviewed in the context of operational feedback and continuously evolving safety standards," it added.
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