DiaNuke.org

We, the below-signed (next two pages), are scientists from various disciplines who are concerned about the quality of components and equipment used at the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNP) Units 1 & 2. Our concerns arise from recent media reports about the use of substandard components in KKNP 1 & 2, and the revelation at this late stage that four valves in a critical safety system were found defective.

You may be surprised to know, as I was, that because of the small concentrations in ores the current nuclear plants need almost as much mining as coal for a similar energy – a comparison is misleading when it is coal vs U235.

The large scale and dramatic increase in nuclear power over the next several decades envisioned by the Govt appears to have been planned without broad consultation and serious consideration of recent developments in other energy sources. The Koodankulam imbroglio, together with the Fukushima disaster, provides an opportunity to pause and initiate a greater public debate on energy needs and possible means of satisfying these needs in as benign a manner as possible, so that citizens can participate meaningfully in the process, without feeling alienation caused by policies being rammed down on their lives.

There has been substantial public debate recently on a host of issues such as climate change,genetically modified crops and nuclear power; a common theme running through these issues involves science and public policy. This presentation will be based broadly on three interlinked themes: growth of specialization in science, significant commercial interests pushing science and technology, and a checkered track record of the promises-made and the broken-reality.