Kudankulam: IAEA chief pitches for transparency

As India works towards commissioning the Kudankulam atomic power plants, IAEA Director General Yukiya Amano today pitched for transparency and sharing of information to ensure safety in use of nuclear power.
"Transparency is needed. We should not hide anything. We need to share information and do everything that is humanly possible for the safety of the use of nuclear power," he told reporters here after delivering the Indian Nuclear Society Silver Jubilee lecture in Mumbai on 'IAEA Perspectives on Future of Nuclear Energy' here.
He was responding to questions on the issues of safety at Kudankulam and the proposed Jaitapur nuclear project in the backdrop of the Fukushima accident, the second anniversary of which falls today.

"We have learnt a very important lesson from the Fukushima incident," he said and underlined the importance of a strong nuclear regulator.
"It (nuclear regulator) should be robust and independent and have oversight over the utilities and the industry," said Amano, who began his five-day visit to India today.
He said the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has a concrete plan for safety and it has to be implemented to restore confidence.
The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited is in the final stages of commissioning the 1,000 MW atomic power plant at Kudankulam. Work on the plant, built with Russian collaboration, was delayed due to eight-month long protests over issues related to safety.

Amano is in India at the invitation of Atomic Energy Commission Chairman R K Sinha. He is expected to hold discussions with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Secretary Ranjan Mathai and other officials on Wednesday.