Fuel loading at India's first prototype fast-breeder reactor in Kalpakkam is expected to start next week, marking a significant step in the country's nuclear program.
M R Srinivasan focused on the peaceful use of nuclear power at a time when the popular view among the 'hawks' was that India should build a nuclear arsenal as a deterrent.
India conducted nationwide civil defence mock drills simulating multiple hostile scenarios like air raids, fire emergencies, and rescue operations across several states and union territories. The drills, dubbed 'Operation Abhyaas,' aimed to enhance emergency preparedness in light of recent terror attacks. The exercises involved coordinated efforts by various agencies, including civil defence personnel, police, fire and emergency services, and the military. Mock drills were conducted at various locations, including railway stations, malls, and high-rise buildings, showcasing the response capabilities of authorities in different emergency scenarios. The drills highlighted the importance of public awareness and cooperation in dealing with real-time emergencies.
The body of a missing computer engineer of the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research at Kalpakkam near Chennai has been found, the police said on Friday. The body of 37-year old S Ananthanarayanan was found near the railway track between Vandalur and Guduvancherry section on February 15, the day he went missing, but was identified only on Thursday night by his father-in-law, said the Kalpakkam police.
A 200-tonne safety vessel was successfully lowered into the reactor vault of the 500 MW Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor(FBR) in Kalpakkam in a "historic moment" for the country's indigenous nuclear programme.
The airport had temporarily suspended operations on Saturday due to strong winds and heavy rainfall caused by cyclones.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will review the damage caused to the plant on Tuesday.
A contract labourer at the Madras Atomic Power station at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu has been arrested after some pen drives and a mobile phone that had over 400 photos of the BHAVINI Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor were seized from him, police said on Thursday.
Currently, both the reactors at MAPS were operating "safely", its director K Ramamurthy said in a statement as 'Nilam' cyclone was expected to cross Tamil Nadu-Andhra Coast close to Chennai in the evening
AAERB's permission for RAPP-7 paves the way for the subsequent phases of reactor commissioning leading to its commercial electricity generation.
'Chinese are going bang, bang, bang building 30-35 reactors.' 'We should announce a programme of 50 new reactors and show that we mean business on the ground and not just announcements.'
The prime minister has been unveiling a slew of development projects running into lakhs of crores of rupees at various places as he turns the spotlight on his government's development and welfare agenda in the run-up to the general elections expected to be held in April-May.
Dr Suresh Moses Lee, who was one of the members of the panel of experts constituted by the Centre to examine the reactors of Koodankulam Nuclear Power Project, talks to rediff.com's Shobha Warrier about the safety aspects of the controversial plant.
A Central Industrial Security Force head constable on Wednesday allegedly shot dead three of his colleagues attached to the Kalpakkam Nuclear complex in Tamil Nadu and injured two others in their camp.
Dr Suresh Moses Lee and his wife Suseela who have lived at the township built near the Kalpakkam nuclear power plant for three decade, ally fears of people living near nuclear plants.
The status of the current submarine force level is alarming and we need to address the threat perceptions expeditiously. Critical decisions pertaining to national security cannot be delayed any further due to the rapidly changing maritime threat perceptions and growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean region, asserts Commodore Venugopal Menon (retd).
Veteran atomic scientist and former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Dr Sekhar Basu succumbed to Covid-19 early on Thursday at a private hospital in Koklata, a health department official said. He breathed his last just three days after turning 68.
After three decades of hard work, and despite the devastating tsunami of 2004, the 500 megawatt Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam is coming up at a furious pace, says Shivanand Kanavi who visited the project site recently. It also happens to be the first tsunami-ready reactor in India.
The Nuclear Power Corporation has said it would revisit safety standards at all atomic power plants in the country in the wake of the nuclear crisis in tsunami-struck Japan."We will sincerely revisit (all the nuclear power plants) and decide whether there was any need for augmentation," NPCIL Chairman and Managing Director S K Jain told reporters. Indian reactors have 'successfully' withstood the Bhuj earthquake and the tsunami in south India, he said.
Keeping in view the ever-increasing energy requirement, India is all set to establish at least four nuclear reactors besides the world's first thorium-based reactor by 2020.
Two nuclear scientists, who have conducted a preliminary investigation of the seized North Koran ship MV Mu San, have said the vessel does not contain any trace of chemical, biological, radioactive or nuclear material.The North Korean vessel dropped the anchor at Hut Bay on August 6 without the permission of Indian authorities. It was detained by the Indian Coast Guard after an over six-hour chase.
Baldev Raj, scientist and director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, said the current installed nuclear power generation capacity is likely to increase five-fold to 25,000 Mwe by 2050 from the current 3,900 Mwe. The proposed expansion would require over Rs 125,000 crore. Nuclear power accounts for 3 per cent of India's total electricity generation and is estimated to go up to 25 per cent in 2050.
The current trend worldwide is to move away from the high yields of thermonuclear devices. These were useful in the Cold War environment and not applicable now. It is feasible to achieve yields of a few hundred kilotons with fission weapons.
India will commission its first 500-Mw fast breeder reactor (FBR) for generating commercial nuclear energy by the end of next year. The reactor, when commissioned, will mark the country's entry into the second phase of its three-stage nuclear energy programme.
The Lashkar has kept Indian terrorists out of such operations as planners at the terror outfit feel Indians lack maritime expertise. Preference is being given to youth from the Maldives.
The Central Information Commission (CIC) has turned down an application seeking cost-related information on the country's unique fast-breeder reactor being developed at Kalpakkam.
The Department of Atomic Energy invites applications for its one-year Orientation Course for engineering graduates at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research Training School at Kalpakkam as part of the BARC Training School programme.
He was responding to a query on NSG guidelines that restrict the export of reactors by members of the grouping, including the US, France, Russia, Australia and Japan.
"Work on the PFBR is on schedule and we expect it to be completed by 2010," Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar told reporters in Delhi on Thursday evening.
'Even before the wave hits the shore, the reactors were shut down,' says nuclear expert L V Krishnan.
After nearly two decades of nuclear competition with Pakistan, India with the several long-range ballistic missiles in development is seemingly now paying attention to its future strategic relationship with China, a think-tank report has said.
Dr Kakodkar's strategic stubbornness ultimately got India what it wanted though the negotiations with the US went to the wire, notes Shivanand Kanavi.
'If not, we can become frighteningly chaotic, more chaotic than what we are today.' 'In today's environment in the country, we still have a window of opportunity.'
Several nuclear power projects held up for the lack of such an insurance pool can now be expected to move forward.
With the launch of the first indigenous aircraft today, India will join a club of nations like the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France that possess nuclear-powered submarines
With Pakistan moving towards tactical nuclear weapons, there is an increasingly higher risk of nuclear theft, a US think-tank report has warned ahead of the Nuclear Security Summit in Washington later this month.
India has said it is committed to implementing the highest safety standards at its nuclear power plants as it seeks to harness the benefits of atomic energy to meet its growing energy requirements.
Why did Chennai go under in the recent rains? R Ramasubramanian paints a familiar picture of dismal urban town planning, civic short-sightedness, and rampant development that caused the recent nightmare.
'India is going to maintain its ties to China, India is going to develop a strong relationship with the United States. It means that India is going to have the flexibility to pick and choose its friends.' 'That's traditional Indian foreign policy, and it's smart.' Former US ambassador to India Frank Wisner, one of America's sharpest minds on South Asia, tells Aziz Haniffa/Rediff.com what Washington can expect from Narendra Modi's visit.
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