This document discusses the environmental impacts and safety of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in India. It summarizes that radiation levels around nuclear plants in India are negligible compared to natural background levels and regulatory limits. No harmful effects on marine life or the environment have been observed from the cooling water used by nuclear plants. Planting of trees and vegetation around Kudankulam has improved the habitat and attracted migratory birds, providing environmental benefits. The document argues that nuclear power can help meet India's growing energy needs while reducing greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuel alternatives.

1. Can nuclear power generation be safe? Does the
Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, the focus of much
controversy, fulfil on these safety requirements? Puneet
Swaroop Pathak, who has been involved with designing and
running of India's nuclear plants for the past 26 years,
answers some of these questions.
Text & Pictures: Puneet Swaroop Pathak
Mumbai
Symbols of beauty, freedom, wisdom and spirituality, birds
are excellent environmental indicators. They are nature's
media representatives to express the status of bio-
diversity.Birds can tell us much about environmental changes.
The country's nuclear power producer, Nuclear Power
Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), has voluntarily taken
up an Environment Stewardship Programme. The
programme focuses on the scientific study of biodiversity,
particularly avifauna, within and around the exclusion zone of
Indian nuclear power plants for the improvement of habitat
and conservation.
The exclusion zone is a 1.6 km radius area around the centre
of a nuclear power plant. While a fraction of this area is used
for the plant structures, a major part is used for green belting.
This zone of no human interference, guarded by the Central
Industrial Security Force of the plant, has become the home of
a large number of bird species including regular foreign guests.
These natural environment indicators around the plant
give additional confidence that nuclear power plants do
not produce obnoxious gases, particulates or soot that
dirty the environment.
20 June 2012 ECO
The history of development in the world shows that most of
the developed countries initially depended on wood for fueL
Gradually, a shift occurred to coal and then to oil and gas. For
quite a few decades, the developed countries have also
included Nuclear Power to fulfill their energy needs and to
protect the environment.
Over 16 per cent (370 Giga Watt Electrical or GWe) of the
world's electricity is produced globally, by 436 nuclear
reactors operating in over 30 countries which is double
the total electricity generation in India from all sources in
2011. At present, 65 reactors are under construction to
produce 62,592 MWe.
Air pollution, water pollution, garbage and wildlife natural
habitat degradation, environmental issues in India are many.
Some believe economic development is leading to
environmental issues in the country. Others say that economic
development is the key to improving environmental
management and preventing pollution.
In India, major environmental issues are forest and
agricultural degradation of land besides resource depletion.
Fuel wood and biomass cakes are used for cooking and general
heating needs in rural and urban India. India uses 148.7 million
tonnes of coal replacement worth of fuel wood and biomass
annually for domestic energy use. Burning of biomass and

2. firewood will not reduce unless electricity is reliably available
and widely adopted in rural and urban India.
India's Energy Scenario: Energy is the prime mover of
economic growth. The well-being of a country's populace,
which is reflected by its per capita Gross ational Product
(GNP), has always had a positive correlation with its per capita
energy consumption. Availability of energy is not only the key
to sustainable development, but also has a direct impact and
influence on the quality of service in the fields of education,
health and, in fact, even food security. There is a big divide
between developed and developing countries in per capita
availability of energy. As per the projections made by
International Energy Agency (lEA), most of the developing
countries are not expected to reach, even by the year 2030, the
level of Energy Development Index achieved by the OECD
countries wayback in 1971.
Overall, India accounts for about 2.4 per cent of total global
annual energy production, but consumes about 3.3 per cent of
the world's total annual energy. The imbalance is growing and
the country is projected to surpass Japan and Russia to become
the world's third biggest energy consumer by 2030.
. India's need for electrical power is projected to jump by more
than four times in the next 20 years or so, from the current 180
GW to 220 GW in 2017 and then to nearly 770 GW in the year
2032. The country does not have large reserves of
conventional energy sources like petroleum and gas while it is
also facing intermittent coal shortages. As indicated in the
Integrated Energy Policy of Planning commission, proven
reserves of coal, the most abundant energy resource, at the
current level of consumption, can last for about 80 years. If
domestic coal production continues to grow at 5 per cent per
year, the total (including proven, indicated and inferred)
extractable coal reserves will run out in around 45 years. The
poor quality of Indian coal, however, coupled with a lack of
infrastructure to clean it, poses a major environmental threat.
According to estimates, even with a frugal per capita
electricity need of 2,000 kWh/annum and a stabilised
population of 1,700 million by 2070, India would need to
generate 3,400 TWh/yr. As opposed to this, a systematic
analysis of the information available on all the renewable
energy sources indicates that the total potential is only around
1.229 TWh/yr, which concludes that in the future as fossil
fuels are exhausted, renewable sources alone will not suffice
for meeting India's needs.
TOTAL1,87,549.62 MW
Fossil Fuel, Electricity and Environment: Gener ting
electricity by burning coal, petroleum and natural gas produces
carbon dioxide. One of the most serious threats to the global
environment comes from such pollution. The rapidly rising
emissions of so called "greenhouse" gases, especially CO
which many scientists believe, are principally responsible for
global warming. There are known environmental concerns
related to the use of coal.
No halt to Global Warming without N-Power: Given the
prospects of ever rising consumption of fossil fuels for
electricity production and an increasing threat to the global
environment, nuclear power can play an important part for
countries that need increasing energy supplies without
increasing greenhouse gas emissions.
The increasing use of nuclear power since the 1960s,
combined with steady increases in hydropower, have helped
curb worldwide carbon dioxide output. If the electric energy
generated worldwide by nuclear power each year were
produced instead by coal-powered plants, there would be
additional emissions of 1,600 million tonnes of CO2, Put
another way: if the world were not employing nuclear power
I today, global carbon dioxide emissions would be at least 8 per
cent greater every year.
Nuclear Power - a clean, green and clear option:
uclear power plants produce practically no carbon dioxide
(CO,), sulphur dioxide (SO,) or nitrogen oxide (NOx) thus
avoiding greenhouse emissions. Nuclear power, as a safe,
environmentally benign and economically viable source of
electricity, can meet the increasing electricity need of the
country. As of now, India has 20 nuclear reactors in operation
at six locations producing 4,780 MW while seven other
reactors are under construction and are expected to generate
an additional 5,300 MWe by the middle of this decade. In
October 2010, India drew up "an ambitious plan to reach a
nuclear power capacity of 63,000 MW by year 2032.
ECO June 2012 21

3. Natural
Background
AERBI
leRB
Limit
1.486
KGS
0.852
KAPS
0.685
NAPS
16.638
-MAPS
19.832
RAPS
First physically independent closed loop- primary circuit
However, some low and medium level waste would be
generated in the station which is treated inside the plant. Very
low level effluents from these would be generated and there
are norms and limits for their releases. Gaseous routine
emissions are basically exhaust air from building ventilation
Protection measures for air and water: The schematic
diagram of KKNPP shows that no radioactivity release
through sea water cooling is possible since this loop is
physically separated by three levels from the coolant loop
which enters the reactor.
contributing significantly to human welfare in the fields of
medicine, industry and other scientific activities. Similarly, the
use of nuclear energy for electricity generation has also made
signific~nt progress the world over. Radiation, just like fire,
could prove harmful if not handled with due care.
The DAE establishes Environmental Survey Laboratories at
all the sites well before a nuclear power plant goes in operation
and regularly monitors the radiological conditions in the
environment. A comparison of the Environmental radiation
doses at PP sites during 2006 to 2010 isgiven below.
13.685
-TAPS
o
500
2000
2500
CIl
:g 1000
o
'C'
IV
~ 1500
If)
2:
Average Environmental Dose (IJSv/y) at 1.6 Km Radius Due to
Operation of NPPs in India (2006-2010)
Environment monitoring around N-Plants in India:
Radiation from the Nuclear Plants is negligible as
compared to the natural backgrounds and regulatory limits.
Only one aspect that is, "radiation," has been predominant in
the public perception of nuclear technology. The principal
cause for this is the fact that human senses do not react to
radiation. One cannot see, hear, smell, taste or feel it. One can
only measure it and that does not tell much to a layman.
Understandably, this is also the reason why the public at large
has several misconceptions and indeed fears about radiation.
Radiation has alwaysbeen apart of natural environment. It is
only since the end of the 19m century that ionising radiations
have been artificially produced by man. There is no basic
difference between natural and artificial radiation in their
effects on living organisms or on other materials.
Radiation of natural origin is being received continuously
from outer space in the form of cosmic rays and from natural
surroundings through materials containing potassium,
uranium, thorium and other radioactive substances. Over the
last few decades, artificially produced radiation has been
Kudankulam, an Environmental Perspective:
Kudankulam village is in Radhapuram Taluka
in district Tirunelveli of Tamil Nadu.
Tirunelveli city is about 75 Km to the
northeast from Kudankulam and the state
capital Chennai is at about 650 km from here.
Kudankul region is in the rain shadow area,
which s very scanty rains even in the
thick rainy season. This semi-arid zone
ha od rate to severe salinity and alkalinity.
All the factors led to frequent crop failures
nd ery low agricultural productivity.
Veg tion in this area was thorny and bushy
almost no coconut and banana trees. The
appeared barren with cactus bloom and
undant anthills.
The Kudankulam site was evaluated by the
Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) Site
Selection Committee and approved after due
process then prevalent in 1988. On the Basis
of the studies and detailed Site Evaluation
eport (SER), Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) gave
arance to the site in 1989. Being a DAE project, Ministry of
E . onment and Forest, while granting environmental
cle nce in1989, permitted construction activities of the
Ian tructure within 500 m of high tide line, in Coastal
egul ry Zone (CRZ) areas. National Environmental
E e g Research Institute (NEERI) carried out a
comp eH sive Environmental Impact Analysis for KK-1&2
in200
It was the vision of Dr Homi Bhabha.
India adopted a three stage nuclear
power programme so that the country's abundant reserve of
thorium can be utilised in the third stage. The first stage of the
programme was started on December 16, 1973 with the
commissioning of the First Unit in Rajasthan. The 500 MWe
Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor being set up at Kalpakkam is
the foundation of the second stage of the programme.
22 June 2012 ECO

4. systems. It is flltered in High Efficiency Particulate Air
(HEPA) fllters and Activated Charcoal fllters before discharge
to the Stack.
Fish Protection system in water intake: Kudankulam
project uses sea water for condenser cooling for which water is
drawn from intake dykes. To save the fishes from coming into
the fore bay and pump house area and getting trapped,
KKNPP houses a unique "fish protection system" where all
the fishes which are coming into the intake are separated by
means of a unique air curtain and "Oogee weirs" and safely
returned to the sea. This is a unique facility to protect the. .
manne orgamsms.
No effect of condenser cooling water on marine life:
Requirement of cooling water is not unique to nuclear power
plants. Power plants using fossil fuels like coal, gas, oil, ete. also
involve condensing of steam in a condenser which requires
effects on marine life including the fish. At the Department of
Atomic Energy-Board of Research in uclear Sciences
(DAE-BRNS), a thermo-ecology study was carried out at
Kalpakkam and Kaiga stations with several experts from
institutions like National Institute of Oceanography (NIO),
Central Electro Chemical Research Institute (CECRI) and
several universities of the country. These studies have not
found any adverse effect on marine ecology around the nuclear
power plant sites.
Beneficial impact on land, Flora and Fauna: Beneficial
impacts would be felt on the land use pattern and
topographical features of the area through plantation and
green belt development. Under operating conditions, there
will not be any impact on the land environment as discharges
are insignificant as compared to the combined natural
background parameters.
As of now, a total of 23,890 plants and trees have been
developed for the green belt at the Kudankulam site. The area
Kudankulam N-Site
cooling water. Ships, submarines and motorboats also use sea
water for cooling their engines. The cooling water temperature
observed at the outlet of the power plant condenser is slightly
higher than the ambient temperature of the water.
Based on the thermo-ecological studies, MoEF has
stipulated that "The thermal power plants using sea water
should adopt a suitable system to reduce water temperature at
the final discharge point so that the resultant rise in
temperature of receiving water does not exceed 7°C over and
above the ambient temperature of the receiving water bodies."
The Kudankulam plant complies with these stipulations. In
fact, the mixing of cold and hot water will be very fast due to
wave action and other water currents. Due to the wave action,
the mixing of warm water from the condenser with ambient
sea water will be instantaneous. Considering these fact it is
obvious that there may not be any harm to the fishery potential
of Kudankulam's marine environment due to KKNPP.
The operation of nuclear power plants in the country at
coastal locations at TAPS, Tarapur, Maharashtra and MAPS at
Kalapakkam in Tamilnadu has also not shown any adverse
covered by lawns and gardens is 16,419 Square metres. Hedges
account for 2,467 running metres and this will help improve
the quality of environment around the NPP. Continued green
belt development will attract more fauna especially avian
species resulting in improvement in biodiversity as evident in
other nuclear power station like Kaiga, Kalpakkam and
Tarapur ete.
As such the land acquired was dry and barren and hence
there is no impact on the flora and fauna inside the plant area.
Tree plantation on this arid land was a herculean task. After a
detailed analysis of the domain, suitable types of trees and drip
irrigation were adopted. Results are encouraging and visible.
Because of the green belt developed, the area around the
Kudankulam Nuclear plant and township has become a hub
for migratory birds. •
Puneet Swaroop Pathak, Additional Chief Engineer, NPCIL,
significantly contributed in various capacities for design, engine g,
construction and commissioning of several of India nuclear pants
including Kudankulam.
June 2012 23