India has to pass a Nuclear Liability Bill to activate the Indo-US Nuclear agreement. This liability bill sets a limit on maximum financial liability in case of a nuclear disaster. The liability limit is required for the US nuclear reactor manufacturing companies to get insurance in their home state. Currently the financial limit in the bill is around $500 million, which is causing lot of controversy since a similar limit in US is around $10.5 billion. A parliamentary panel reviewing this bill will visit Kalpakkam to learn about the security and operation of the power plants at Kalpakkam. They are also going to get feedback from the trade unions and the public on this bill. Here is the article from Hindustan Times on the visit. If you are interested in learning more on this bill, here is a link
Parliamentary panel examining Nuclear Liability Bill to visit Kalpakkam
Thorium - The New Green Nuke
Wired Magazine has an article on how Uranium is so last century and Thorium will be the new Green Nuke.. In that regard, India is well positioned by having 25% of world thorium resource and well ahead in exploiting it.
Here is the full article...
Drinking water contaminated at Kaiga Nuclear Power Plant
Here is an article from Times of India
In a nuclear accident that is bound to raise key safety concerns ahead of India’s ambitious atomic expansion programme, 45 employees of the Kaiga atomic power plant suffered radiation poisoning when radioactive heavy water from the plant contaminated the drinking water. Kaiga is one of India’s newer nuclear reactors.
DAE SPORTS MEET
Hi sports lovers,
Inter DAE Sports Meet starts on 02-02-2009 at NESCO Shuttle Badminton Court.
This year Kalpakkam is hosting Badminton (Shuttle).
All the best to our players.
Dr. Placid Rodrigues passes away
Another sad news... Ex-Director of IGCAR Dr. Placid Rodrigues passed away at the age of 68. Here is the article from Times of India
CHENNAI: Eminent metallurgist and former director of Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, Kalpakkam, Dr Placid Rodriguez died on Sunday morning.
The 68-year-old scientist was admitted to the Apollo Hospitals here after he complained of chest pain on Sunday morning. However, he did not respond to the treatment and died. Dr Rodriguez is survived by his wife, a daughter and son.
C. V. Sundaram passes away
C. V. Sundaram was the Director of IGCAR when the FBTR went critical. Here is the article from Economic Times
One of the country's outstanding metallurgists and former director of Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), Chokkanathapuram Venkataraman Sundaram passed away, according to Department of Atomic energy sources here.
CARNIVAL 2008
This year Kalpakkam Carnival is between Aug. 2 and Aug 10 at NESCO ground. Everybody have fun.
MAPS completes 25 years
Link to the article
The country's first indigenously built nuclear power reactor Madras Atomic Power Station Unit-1 (MAPS-1), located at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu and set up at a cost of Rs.2.4 billion ($57 million), will complete 25 years Wednesday.
Indigenous safety vessel installed at Kalpakkam
Here the article from Indian Express
Indian nuclear science took nimble steps towards n-power independence on Tuesday with the installation of an 80-tonne safety vessel in the 500-mw Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) at Kalpakkam. The indigenously-designed and fabricated vessel is the first crucial component to be erected at the plant, which is scheduled to go critical by September 2010. The vessel was designed by a team of scientists led by Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) director Dr Baldev Raj and fabricated at the plant campus.
Toshiba builds micro nuclear reactor
Toshiba has developed a new class of micro size Nuclear Reactors that is designed to power individual apartment buildings or city blocks. The new reactor, which is only 20 feet by 6 feet, could change everything for small remote communities, small businesses or even a group of neighbors who are fed up with the power companies and want more control over their energy needs.