A multi-tier safety mechanism comprising safety review committees within Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and safety review committees in the regulatory authority (Atomic Energy Regulatory Board- AERB) is in place to monitor the safety of nuclear power plants. In addition, a framework of periodic safety reviews, audits and inspection is in place, for providing assurance of safety.

All NPPs are required to undergo a comprehensive Periodic Safety Review (PSR) as per AERB requirements every 10 years. During PSR, the safety of the plant is assessed considering cumulative effects of ageing, plant modifications, operating experience as well as comparison with the current safety standards/ practices, and necessary upgrades are identified. License for operating reactors is renewed for further operation after exhaustive review of PSR and approval by AERB. Based on these reviews and operating experience feedback, necessary upgrades are carried out and the nuclear power plants are maintained at state-of-the-art in terms of safety.

At present, there are eight nuclear reactors with a total capacity of 6600 MW (including 500 MW PFBR by BHAVINI) at various stages of construction. In addition, ten reactors of 700 MW are under pre-project activities.

*****

NKR/AK

Annexure

*****