Emergency drill held at Kalpakkam atomic plant

CHENGALPATTU: The Department of Atomic Energy, DAE, centre in Kalpakkam, which is located about 80 kilometres from Chennai, conducted a nuclear emergency drill on Saturday.

The Kalpakkam Centre consists of the Madras Atomic Power Station, MAPS, the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, IGCAR, the under-construction Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor, PFBR, and the fast reactor fuel cycle facility, among others. The nuclear emergency drill was initiated in presence of District Collector Rahul Nath and is conducted to test the preparedness of the various units in meeting any remote emergency situation.

The main focus of the drill on Saturday that was headed by Disaster Management commander Arun from Arakkonam was to ensure that the units are prepared to tackle the situation in case any of the staff or members of public are affected by nuclear radiation. Officials from various government departments participated in the drill to understand the process as in case of emergency.