Cannot close option of nuclear power: PM Singh

Strongly favouring nuclear power, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said there would be no compromise on safety of atomic plants and it would be harmful to close the additional source of energy.

"It would be harmful for the country to pass an ordinance on denial of nuclear power," Singh said replying to supplementaries during Question Hour in the Lok Sabha.

He was replying to question by Anant Geete (Shiv Sena) on whether India would do a re-think on nuclear power in the post-Fukushima scenario in which Germany and Japan have announced that they would give up atomic energy.

"We must keep the option of having nuclear power as an additional source of energy open," Singh said.

He said there would be no compromise on the safety of nuclear power plants.

Singh said after the Fukushima accident of March 2011, he had ordered a complete review of all the 20 operating nuclear power reactors across the country and none of them has reported any incident.

"Our view is that when it comes to safety, there will be no compromise," the prime minister said.

The prime minister said India was not in a situation like Japan, where large amount of power comes from nuclear plants.

He pointed out that Germany, which has announced that it would close down its all nuclear plants by 2022, buys electricity from France, a country that relies heavily on atomic energy.

Earlier, Minister of State in the PMO V Narayanasamy said radiation levels in areas surrounding nuclear plants in the country were minuscule when compared with the upper limits prescribed by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) has taken steps to create awareness about atomic energy by issuing booklets and publicising such matters through television and radio.

He said requests have been received for acquiring land in the sterilised zone of the Kaiga nuclear power plant and the rehabilitation and resettlement of people residing therein.

"The lands already acquired are in line with the stipulations of the relevant AERB Code and there is no need for acquiring additional land in the existing sterilised zone or extending the limits of the sterilised zone," Narayanasamy said.

He said the requests for acquisition of additional land were not in conformity with guidelines on the matter or practices followed anywhere.