Jaitapur nuclear plant meets opposition

MAHARASHTRA, INDIA - Construction of the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant in Maharashtra, said to be ushering in a new era in India's power generation and announced with much fanfare during French President Nikolas Sarkozy's visit, is encountering strong opposition from activists and political parties.

Activists suspect that the 9,900-megawatt MW nuclear power project is dangerous, as it may store spent fuel from other nuclear plants in the country and have decided to step up their opposition to the plant.

Centre of Indian Trade Unions leader Vivek Monteiro said, "We all know what happened in Chernobyl and how Ukraine, Belarus and Russia were hit. The spent fuel, if stored here, would be several hundred times more dangerous than Chernobyl."

He alleged that a proper "scientific scrutiny" of the plant has not been carried out and that several facts have been hidden. Monteiro pointed out that the project was more about foreign policy and strategic needs than energy requirements.

Monteiro said that neither the Nuclear Power Corporation of India or French company Areva, which will be constructing the project, could deny "radioactivity issues" involved.

He said, "Our concern is about the solid waste and spent fuel. Jairam Ramesh only spoke of liquid waste disposal, but nothing on the solid waste. If this group of plants produces 30 tons of waste in a year, it is equivalent to several hundred times Hiroshima. Chernobyl, a 1,000-MW plant, when it leaked, was equivalent to 400 times Hiroshima. The Jaitapur plant, just in the first phase, will be nearly 3,000 MW." He also questioned the issuance of a conditional environmental clearance to the project by the environment ministry without reviewing radioactive risks.

Several political parties, unions and NGOs have joined to challenge the project under the banner of Koncahan Bachao Samiti and Janhit Seva Samiti. However, the main point of worry for the government is opposition from Maharashtra's main opposition party, the Shiv Sena.

Shiv Sena Executive President Uddhav Thackeray has already met activists opposing the Jaitapur nuclear power project and said that it should not be "imposed" on the people. "If the villagers living in the region are not in the favor of a project, I don't see any point in imposing on them," said Thackeray.

The activists said the project will harm the environment and activities such as agriculture, fisheries and horticulture.

Thackeray has promised the activists that his party members would survey the area as the party had already declared its support to the local farmers opposing the 9,900-MW nuclear power project proposed in the biodiversity-rich Konkan belt.