US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to visit India

NEW DELHI: In a bid to share experience on safety standards and regulation for the safe operation of nuclear power plants, a US Nuclear Regulatory Commission team, led by Chairman Gregory B Jaczko, will visit the country and hold meetings with Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB).

US NRC Chairman Gregory B Jaczko will lead a five-member NRC delegation to visit Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai from November 14-18 to take part in meetings with the AERB, other government agencies, and visit a variety of nuclear facilities, a US Embassy statement said here today.

"The visit is to exchange information and share experience on safety standards and regulation for the safe operation of nuclear power plants," it said.

The NRC delegation will visit the nuclear power plants in Tarapur ( Tarapur Atomic Power Station) and Chennai ( Madras Atomic Power Station), and laboratories at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Mumbai and the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research in Chennai, it said.

While there, the Chairman will meet with appropriate Indian government officials and staff of nuclear agencies and organizations, the Embassy statement said.

Ahead of his visit, Jaczko said "I look forward to the continuation and advancement of our long-term relationships with our AERB Indian counterparts and with other Indian organizations in the area of nuclear safety," according to the statement.

The visit comes in the backdrop of Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan and also the US insisting on India ratifying the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage.