Safety features vital to India's nuclear power projects

Safety features are a crucial part of the design of the equipment and components used in Indian nuclear power projects and nuclear power project expenditure.

India has world-class expertise for nuclear reactor safety, but the country is still currently participating in international efforts to improve the safety of all nuclear power reactors. India has extended an invitation to the Operational Safety Review Team (OSART) of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to review its Rajasthan Atomic Power Station.

All nuclear power stations have the latest safety measures based on diversity -- the different principles by which safety systems operate -- and redundancy -- more numbers than required. These systems are engineered with fail-safe shutdown systems that safely turn off the nuclear reactor, which combines passive systems, which operate with natural phenomena and not operator or power activity, and active systems, which need external intervention to operate. Cooling systems are used to take heat from the nuclear core and thus decrease radioactive release.

If a tsunami, earthquake, flood or any other extreme natural disaster occurs, all nuclear power plants have been engineered to withstand these elements.

All equipment and components used in nuclear power projects have been designed with safety in mind. Operating expenditure and safety provisions are ensured during budget meetings.