Ensuring safety of nuclear power plant

Published: September 19, 2016 21:05:52 | Updated: October 21, 2017 20:08:22

AS reported in a local daily on September 18, both the supplier and safety assessor of the potentially hazardous U236-fuelled nuclear power plant are from Russia and both are closely controlled by the Russian government authorities. This cannot ensure an objective assessment of the dangers of potentially fatal and life-threatening radiation leakage from a power plant. The authorities should be knowing this. But handling of these fatal and dangerous issues is being rather casual and bureaucratic. More importantly, the handling and safe storage of the nuclear fuel rods that produce life-threatening and dangerous nuclear by-products is not the responsibility of Russian authorities as far as the knowledge of this writer goes. This critical issue has not been sorted out. The authorities should address this vital issue properly.
For safety assessment we should go to other countries that have their own nuclear expertise. Safety assessment is a critical matter and could be done by experts from USA, Japan, UK and Germany. They have the experience about the potential dangers of radiation leakage and the handling and storage of spent fuel rods. As far as this writer knows till date (from published sources) Russia will not take back its spent fuel rods. So who is going to take this critically important responsibility? Nothing has been said or done so far by our authorities in this respect.
As of now we are under the risk of facing a radiation leakage in next fifteen to twenty years, when this writer who is now 83 and many like him may not be alive. But it will surely be fatal for our younger generation if concerned issues are not addressed by internationally recognised experts. If possible we should go for the absolutely radiation-safe U238 nuclear-fuelled power plant that can be supplied by the countries listed earlier and also China.
This writer has more than forty years of experience in the installation, operation and maintenance of various thermal power plants both in the public and private sector industries and keeps himself abreast of nuclear power plants issues. There are detailed studies available in 'Facebook' and other computer links which can be consulted to corroborate my views.
Engr. S A Mansoor
Gulshan, Dhaka
[email protected]
 

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