Koodankulam plant safe: Jayalalithaa

CHENNAI: Allaying fears of the people of many coastal villages around Koodankulam Atomic Power Plant, Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday said the plant is completely safe and there is no need for apprehensions about the safety aspects.“The people living in the coastal villages of Koodankulam, Idinthakarai, Uvari, Koottapuli, Kooduthalai, Perumanal and Koothankuzhi need not have any fear over the safety aspects of the atomic power plant since the safety measures were approved by the Indian and Russian scientists, besides the Indian Atomic Energy Regulatory Board,” Jayalalithaa said in a statement.“People of the State know well that my government has been paying utmost care in ensuring that welfare projects are not harmful to the people,” she said and appealed to the people to give up their fast and extend full cooperation to the atomic power plant.Stating that the doubts about the safety aspects of the Koodankulam project rose after the multiple meltdowns at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, the CM said that her government had held talks with the engineers and atomic scientists concerned on the safety arrangements made at Koodankulam plant and that it was her duty to inform the people about it.“Koodankulam plant  is located in second-level seismic zone, which is not prone to earthquakes. The reactor cooling system at the plant is very safe. Though one coolant is sufficient, four coolants are in place. Similarly, each reactor is provided with four diesel generators though only one is sufficient to keep the reactor cool under shutdown condition. All the four have been installed at a height of nine metres above the sea level to protect them from natural disasters,” she said. Since the plant is located 7.5 metre above the sea level, natural disasters like tsunami cannot affect it. She recalled that during the 2004 tsunami, there was no damage to the plant.