The Indian government announced, 26 April, a number of measures that will be taken in response to the recent nuclear accident in Japan. The measures address safety concerns about India’s nuclear power programme, in particular the planned Jaitapur plant, which have seen large public opposition.

India plans to create an independent and autonomous Nuclear Regulatory Authority of India, which will subsume the existing Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) and says it will invite the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) to assist with future safety reviews and audits.

A government statement said: “All reactors, whether indigenous or imported, will without exception meet the safety standards that are stipulated by the regulatory authorities, and there will be complete transparency in the functioning of the nuclear power programme.”

The findings of the six safety review committees set up after the Fukushima accident will also be made public, according to the statment.

In relation to the Jaitapur project, the government confirmed: “each reactor will have its own stand alone safety and operation systems.” It also noted that the project would be implemented in a phased manner, with two 1650MW reactors to begin with. A comprehensive environmental impact assessment would then be carried out when the reactors were operational, by 2019.

In addition it said, ‘a generous new compensation package’, worked out by the state government and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd would be announced shortly.

FilesFukushima-Daiichi parameters 27 April
Reactor-by-reactor, system-by-system summary from JAIF as of 28 April