Disposing Nuclear Waste - We Need Time till 2026? Locals Shocked
The National Atomic Energy Agency has petitioned the supreme court for authorization to build a subterranean storage facility for the safe disposal and collection of waste from the Kudankulam nuclear power station until July 2026. Several protests have taken place in Kudankulam, Nellai district, against the nuclear power facility. local residents have protested, claiming that not enough has been done to safely dispose of the Kudankulam reactor's effluent at a safe distance from the reactors.
In this context, Saundarajan filed a petition in the supreme court in 2012 on behalf of Friends of the Earth, requesting that a building be erected to properly dispose of and preserve the Kudankulam reactor's wastewater, as well as a suspension of the reactor's day-to-day operations until it is completed. Because the required structure has not been built, the waste generated in the reactor is gathered there. According to him, this has produced a dangerous situation.
The supreme court that heard the case issued a judgement in 2013 saying that the Kudankulam nuclear power station could continue to operate, but that a permanent subterranean depot should be built within five years to securely dispose of the effluent outside the reactor.
In february 2018, India's Atomic Energy Corporation petitioned for an extension of the five-year grace period, which expired in march 2018. It said that there was a problem creating the structure since the technology to keep the effluents safe outside the furnace was lacking, and that the time limit should be extended for another 5 years. The extension was affirmed by the supreme court until the end of april 2022.
In february 2018, India's Atomic Energy Corporation petitioned for an extension of the five-year grace period, which expired in march 2018. It said that there was a problem creating the structure since the technology to keep the effluents safe outside the furnace was lacking, and that the time limit should be extended for another 5 years. The extension was affirmed by the supreme court until the end of april 2022.
The Atomic Energy Research Institute of india has filed a new plea before the supreme court, asking for a 5-year extension, till July 2026. The case was heard in a session headed by Judge AM Conwilker yesterday. The petitioner argued that the deadline for establishing a structure for safe trash disposal and collection should not be extended any further. It was also requested that it be given two weeks to respond in this regard.