Fwd: Press Statement from AIPEF and NCOA - Embargo Monday 9th

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: ashok rao <kashokrao@gmail.com>
Date: Sat, May 7, 2011 at 12:06 PM
Subject: Press Statement from AIPEF and NCOA - Embargo Monday 9th
To: 

I am attaching a press statement signed by Mr. Padamjt Singh President All India Power Engineers Federation (AIPEF) and Mr. K. Ashok Rao President National Confederation of Officers Associations (NCOA) regarding nuclear power.

Press statement for favour of publication

Ashok Rao

ALL I NDI A POWER ENGI NEERS FEDERATI ON (AI PEF) and

NATI ONAL CONFEDERATI ON OF OFFI CERS ASSOCI ATI ONS OF

CENTRAL PUBLI C SECTOR UNDERTAKI NGS (NCOA)

J 152 Saket New Delhi 110017 Tele 9868101640, 09878818702

PRESS STATEM ENT FOR FAVOUR OF PUBLI CATI ON - Dated 9th M ay 2011

STOP THE DANGEROUS NUCLEAR VERSI ON OF

THE ENRON'S DHABOL FI ASCO

Executive Summary of the Press Statement

The engineers of the power sector and the officers of the Central Public Sector have in a joint

statement said "No sane power engineer, anywhere in the world, would envisage an almost

200 times increase in nuclear power within 41 years [from the present 3.8 Gigawatt (e) to 655

Gigawatt (e)]. Such an increase has not been achieved anywhere in the world". The statement

warns that "such a large expansion would be impossible without compromising quality and

safety….. The Prime Minister has agreed to French reactor even without design and safety

features being presented and approved by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board" The statement

asks, "in the case of Jaitapur, where would the manpower be trained when there is no EPR

nuclear power plant in operation anywhere in the world?"

The statement signed by Shri Padamjt Singh President, All India Power Engineers Federation

and Shri K Ashok Rao President, National Confederation of Officers' Associations has said

that "when political decisions have already been taken at the level of the Prime Minister

and Mr. Sarkosy the French President is himself pushing the French reactors no purposeful

negotiations are possible at the official level. All that the officers can do is sign on the dotted

line. Consequently, the French nuclear plant would cost upwards of Rs.22 Crores per MW

against its Indigenous equivalent nuclear plant at Rs 8 Crores per MW"

The joint statement questions the fuel-energy policy. "who is determining India's fuel-energy

balance and the strategy for India's energy security? Dabhol was intended to be a major

customer of Enron 20-year contract for 2.1 million tons/year of Liquified Natural Gas LNG and

the nuclear expansion, in the words of Dr. Condoleezza Rice, is meant for "Diversifying India's

energy sector will help to alleviate the competition between India, the United States, and other

rapidly expanding economies for scarce carbon-based energy resource"

Drawing a parallel with the Enron's Dhabol Power plant the statement says, "It is the very

same politicians in the Government and the opposition who facilitated ENRON's Dhabol

project and later absolved themselves of any responsibility for the fiasco. They would

do the same in the case of Jaitapur nuclear power plant….while the Dhabol power plant

left losses of few thousands of crores of rupees, a Jaitapur nuclear power plant will in

addition leave behind a few lakh dead, injured and displaced Indians"

The Power Engineers and Officers of the Central Public Sector Undertakings have demanded

a judicial enquiry, under the Commission of Enquiry Act, into the loss of thousands of crores

of rupees due to the Enron sponsored Dhabol power plant and the summary rejection of the,

nationally accepted, Homi Bhabha's three stage development plan for nuclear power and its

substitution with large scale import of high cost, nuclear power plants.

TEXT OF THE PRESS STATEM ENT

The All India Power Engineers' Federation (AIPEF) and The National Confederation Of Officers'

Associations Of Central Public Sector Undertakings (NCOA) Demand

A judicial enquiry, under the Commission of Enquiry Act to

1. Enquire into the loss of thousands of crores of rupees due to the Enron sponsored

Dhabol power plant and fix responsibility for the loss.

2. Examine the reasons for the summary rejection of the, nationally accepted, Homi

Bhabha's three stage development plan for nuclear power and its substitution with large

scale import of high cost, nuclear power plants

3. Review to ensure adequate safeguards so that no accidents threaten the environment

and people in the country.

How did the Indian Prime Minister agree to a framework agreement?

How the Indian Prime Minister agree to a framework agreement being signed (commercial

agreement is expected to be signed by Mid-June for Jaitapur) without

a) The design and safety features being presented and approved by the Atomic Energy

Regulatory Board.

b) Compliance with para 5.1 of the Tariff policy that mandates that all future requirement

of power should be procured competitively. (Especially when it is known that the French

nuclear plant would cost upwards of Rs.22 Crores per MW against its Indigenous

equivalent nuclear plant at Rs 8 Crores per MW)

c) Creating adequate manpower (that too when no training opportunities exist anywhere in

the world since there is no EPR nuclear power plants in operation anywhere)

Insane nuclear power policy

No sane power engineer, anywhere in the world, would envisage an almost 200 times increase

in nuclear power within 41 years [from the present 3.8 Gigawatt (e) to 655 Gigawatt (e)]. Such

an increase has not been achieved anywhere in the world. Even if such a programme were

to be realised where is the trained manpower or qualified contractors? Without compromising

quality and safety it would be impossible to have such a large expansion based on imports from

different countries with reactors designed to different philosophies, practices and standards.

Who decides India's fuel policy?

The question we would like to ask is who is determining India's fuel-energy balance and the

strategy for India's energy security?

Enron had a 20-year contract for 2.1 million tons/year of Liquified Natural Gas LNG with two

Middle Eastern suppliers and Dabhol was intended to be a major customer for that. And in the

context of the Indo – United States Civil Nuclear agreement Dr. Condoleezza Rice the then

US Secretary of State, asserted in the US Senate that "Diversifying India's energy sector will

help to alleviate the competition between India, the United States, and other rapidly expanding

economies for scarce carbon-based energy resource" And further, "Help India meet its rising

energy needs without increasing its reliance on unstable foreign sources of oil and gas, such as

nearby Iran".

Whose interests are served?

For the Dhabol Power plant, violating Section 29 of the then Electricity (Supply) Act 1948,

the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) was directed not to give a techno-economic approval

but to restrict its purview only to technical clearance, while Shri Montek Singh Ahluwalia, the

then Finance Secretary, usurped CEA's powers and gave economic clearance for the project.

The very same Shri Aluwalia, now Vice Chairman, Planning Commission, has tailor-made an

Integrated Energy Policy to justify large scale import of nuclear power plants including the one

being set up at Jaitapur.

First an agreement at the highest level then sham negotiations

Not just in India, but nowhere in the world would there be purposeful negotiations at the official

level when political decisions have already been taken at the level of the Prime Minister. All

that the officers can do is sign on the dotted line. In the case of Dhabol almost the entire

US government – from Commerce Secretary Brown, to Energy Secretary Hazel O'Leary to

Secretary of State Colin Powell to Vice President Cheney (with the US Ambassador to India

constantly threatening India with withdrawal of foreign investments) were involved. Mr. Sarkosy

the French President was himself in India pushing the French reactors. Consequently, the

French nuclear plant would cost upwards of Rs.22 Crores per MW against its Indigenous

equivalent nuclear plant at Rs 8 Crores per MW"

Violation of human rights

Human Rights Watch produced evidence of ENRON lending the police its helicopters as well as

direct payment to the police. Amnesty International found that local protests however peaceful

were liable to "harassment, arbitrary arrest, preventive detention." The National Human Rights

Commission of India (Enquiry Report, July 1997) determined that the human rights violations

committed by the police were due, in part, to an order given by the then Maharashtra Chief

Minister Manohar Joshi "to deal with the situation...firmly or else the wrong signal would be

conveyed to the business world" This time it's a different Chief Minister but the cause being

served, as well as the methods being used to suppress dissent are the same.

It is the very same politicians in the Government and the opposition who facilitated

ENRON's Dhabol project and later absolved themselves of any responsibility for the

fiasco. They would do the same in the case of Jaitapur nuclear power plant.

There is no mystery about the nexus between the politicians and the foreign vendors. In the

case of Enron it is well established that $20 million "education fund" was made available to

prepare the way for the project. The equivalent figure for Jaitapur will come into public domain

sooner or later.

In national interest, we professionals in the power industry, demand a proper enquiry and

transparency in respect of energy policy and more specifically that relating to the nuclear

issues that are agitating the minds of the people. We warn that while the Dhabol power plant

left losses of few thousands of crores of rupees, a Jaitapur nuclear power plant will in

addition leave behind a few lakh dead, injured and displaced Indians.

(K Ashok Rao)

President, NCOA

--
Palash Biswas
Pl Read:
http://nandigramunited-banga.blogspot.com/