KARACHI: New nuclear power plant sets alarm bells ringing
By Reema Abbasi
KARACHI: It may be a power trip for the government but a renewed pursuit of nuclear energy for non-military purposes can seldom be short of courting destruction. But the reasons for its return are many. Nuclear plants do not produce conventional pollutants, becoming viable alternatives to fossil fuels and a reliable solution to the climate change as they emit nothing more harmful than vapours.
Secondly, only a drastic measure such as this can overcome the escalating power crisis and meet the government’s lofty mission to produce close to 8800 megawatts by 2030.
The catch, however, lies in their cost which is not just currency but also accidents and grave consequences of radioactive waste.
The establishment of three power plants as KANUPP 2 near Karachi has hit the headlines in recent months with the chairman of Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) stating that the project will have a capacity for a whopping 600 megawatts.
In their defence, the authorities maintain that the reactors will not pose any threat to the population as the PAEC works in close collaboration with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and World Association of Nuclear Operators (WANO) for the implementation of safe operational measures and practices. The PAEC officials also say that world bodies such as these have endorsed and supported the safety mechanisms of all our plants and have done so for the entire course of the country’s nuclear power operations.
“The safety record of KANUPP for the last 30 plus years of operation has remained excellent as was approved by several review missions such as IAEA-OSART in 1985, WANO Peer review in 1994, 1996 and 2000,” says Mohammed Tariq Rasheed, spokesperson PAEC.
Rasheed also asserts that the average personal radiation exposure has been well within the prescribed limits of International Commission of Radiological Protection (ICRP). “The release of radioactive material through gaseous and liquid effluent has remained within 4 per cent of the maximum permissible limit,” he explains.
However, Dr Pervez Hoodbhoy, a renowned professor of nuclear physics, is more than sceptical about such developments. “Having reactors close to a city can be worse than storing nuclear bombs in it.”
“While a reactor cannot explode, even one as small as a 200 megawatt reactor, after a year of operation, contains more radioactive cesium, strontium and iodine than the amounts produced in all the nuclear weapons tests ever conducted,” continues an unconvinced Hoodbhoy.
The expert also emphasises that these deadly materials can be released if the containment vessel of the reactor is somehow breached. “A Chernobyl-like accident, leading to a loss of coolant, is the nightmare that dogs nuclear plants everywhere,” he explains.
Although Dr Nayyar, another leading authority on the subject, agrees that nuclear plants can be viewed as sources of concentrated electric power which is required near cities because of a growing urban population and industrial activity, he seconds Hoodbhoy regarding the devastating perils of nuclear plants.
“In their normal functioning, they do not produce harmful radiation. But in an accident the most lethal radioactivity is released into the environment which kills in thousands and not only instantaneously but over decades,” says Nayyar.
He affirms that nuclear reactors must be built far away from population centres. “We must keep in mind that there has been absolutely no order for a new nuclear plant in the USA after the 3 Miles Island accident in 1973.”
Nayyar also stresses that when KANUPP was built in 1969, it was way out of the city but today, it stands surrounded by population. “The PAEC already has an aged nuclear power plant in Karachi and is planning to install at least two more of medium size so the population remains under a high risk of radiation sickness in the event of an accident.”
Tariq Rasheed, on the other hand, vehemently refutes the views of the two specialists. “In all these decades, KANUPP has not experienced any event which could be considered a potential threat to either plant workers or the public,” he states.
The official also claims that IAEA has declared KANUPP a model of technical cooperation for making tremendous progress in implementing various safety upgrades comprising fuel channel inspection and life assessment. “The plant has now become the first plant in the world to be re-licensed to operate beyond its nominal designed life of 30 years.”
Fears abound regarding the fact that a country which is already burdened with failing security measures, unprofessionalism and corruption for amenities such as electricity, oil and gas, may find these sensitive enterprises a tall order to handle. “The authorities have absolutely no measures in place to deal with nuclear disasters,” declares Hoodbhoy.
“Karachi, where the wind blows from the sea towards the land, is especially at risk. In developed countries, there are emergency evacuation plans but this is not possible here. The losses would be colossal,” he reiterates.
Another cause for concern is the lack of mechanisms to treat and dispose nuclear waste. A recent incident in Baghalchur near Dera Ghazi Khan where uranium dumps resulted in major health disasters for both people and animals, continues to send out desperate distress signals. “There is no independent monitoring. PAEC and PNRA release absolutely no information regarding nuclear waste disposal on the pretext of secrecy. There are assurances but no facts,” says Hoodbhoy.
“The wretchedly poor people of Baghalchur finally mustered up the courage to move the Supreme Court with the complaint that the nuclear waste had contaminated the environment, badly affecting them and their animals but were unable to get justice,” he elaborates.
In response to Hoodbhoy’s tirade, Rasheed says that there is a water pool in KANUPP where the waste is deposited and it is monitored by a camera which has been set up by the IAEA. “We cannot do anything ourselves as international rules apply to treatment,” he says.
Interestingly, Senator Jamal Leghari, who had raised a ruckus over the contamination in his constituency of Dera Ghazi Khan was more than defensive about the lethal accident.
“All nuclear safety standards are being followed and everyone at the local level is content. Another development is that all the employees who were on daily wages whether at the plants or in mining operations have been made permanent.”
When asked about the rampant health hazards caused by the incident, Leghari’s reply was more than alarming. “It was mostly misinformation. There were a few cases which have been rectified,” he said.
