By IANS,
New Delhi : In the wake of growing nuclear safety concerns in India, a team of experts from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will visit Rajasthan in November to carry out an in-depth operational safety review of two atomic power plants there.
India has invited the IAEA team for the safety review, the first time a team from the global nuclear watchdog will be visiting India for safety review rather than issues related to safeguards inspection, said informed sources.
The Operational Safety of Reactors Review Team (OSART) will conduct an in-depth survey of the safety regulations of units 3 and 4 of the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station at Rawatbhata, said the sources.
This is essentially a peer review by international expert in view of the growing agitation in India, as seen in protests against the Russia-built Kundankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu, over nuclear safety issues.
The review is part of India’s long-term strategy to upgrade safety-related infrastructure at its nuclear facilities and reflects the desire of the top leadership to go ahead with ambitious nuclear energy expansion programme amid growing scepticism in Europe about nuclear energy following the 2010 Fukushima disaster.