Will God save us from a nuclear disaster?

LET me start with an old but interesting story. A clerical position became vacant in the office of a deputy commissioner in Bengal during the British period. As the number of Muslim employees in the administration was very small at that time, it was decided that the position would be filled up by a Muslim candidate. Finally, the deputy commissioner recruited a Hindu in that position. He later explained that no suitable Muslim candidate was available and accordingly he appointed a Hindu with a beard who looked like a Muslim!

I do not know how far the story is true, but similar appointments are now being made in the Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission (BAEC) and the newly formed Bangladesh Atomic Energy Regulatory Authority (BAERA). More than six years ago, I recommended (DS May 10, 2009) that the BAEC should immediately start recruitment and training of engineers for the proposed Rooppur Nuclear Power Project (RNPP) but nobody paid any attention. Now, bio-scientists, physicists and medical doctors are being appointed in positions reserved for nuclear engineers. I must stress here that I have nothing against any of the individuals who have been appointed. They are brilliant and highly respected in their own fields. But are they trained to perform the job of a nuclear engineer?

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A guidebook of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), entitled Manpower Development for Nuclear Power (Technical Reports Series No. 200), clearly specifies the responsibilities, required qualifications and experience of all the top management and professionals of the organisations involved in the implementation of a nuclear power programme. According to the guidebook, the responsibilities of a project manager (or director) include “engineering, design, licensing, purchasing, construction, installation, preoperational tests and startup. Coordination of all project activities to ensure meeting schedules, cost and quality requirements.”

At present, the position of the project director of the Rooppur Nuclear Power Project is being held by a physicist. The IAEA recommends that the project manager should have an “M.S. in engineering (nuclear, mechanical or electrical)” and “10-15 years in profession; at least 5 years in power plant project management. Experience in planning and operation of thermal power plants; demonstrated managerial ability” plus specialised training of 18 months in nuclear power technology. Does the project director of RNPP have the requisite qualifications or any previous experience of construction or operation of any power plant of any size? How can we then expect that he would be able to manage the construction of a 2,000 MWe nuclear power project which, cost wise, may be four times larger than the Padma Bridge Project?

What would be the end result of poor management of RNPP? It is likely that the vendor will dictate all the terms of the project which we would be obliged to accept without proper understanding of the implications. This may result in higher project costs and poor quality of work. Nobody should be surprised if we ultimately get a white elephant instead of an economic nuclear power plant.

In an earlier article (DS: August 31, 2014), I mentioned that BAERA performs an important task of ensuring the health and safety of the general public against any harmful effects arising from peaceful uses of nuclear energy. According to the IAEA guidebook, the head (chairman) of the nuclear regulatory authority should have an “MS in nuclear engineering” with experience of “minimum 15 years in progressively responsible positions in power plant engineering, including 5 years in nuclear power, preferably safety-oriented activities….” and specialised training of 1 -2 years in nuclear safety regulations. The directors of different divisions (equivalent to members of BAERA) should have MS in engineering (mechanical, civil, electrical or nuclear) with experience of 10-12 years in the specified fields.

Does a bio-scientist or a medical doctor fit in any of the positions mentioned above? I am ready to accept a bearded Hindu in a clerical position reserved for a Muslim, but how can I accept a bio-scientist or a medical doctor as chairman or member of BAERA when it involves the safety of millions of people? BAERA is in a formative stage now. It will require vast knowledge and experience in the field of nuclear safety to establish the regulatory standards, to prescribe the procedures for evaluation and approval of the safety analysis reports and to issue licences to the owner and the operators. How can one, without any knowledge about nuclear reactors or nuclear safety, perform these tasks or guide the professionals under them to do similar tasks?

It may be recalled that one common cause of the two worst nuclear accidents at Chernobyl (former USSR, now Ukraine) and Fukushima (Japan) was poor application of nuclear safety regulations. The cost of each accident exceeded $100 billion. Should we play with the safety of the nuclear reactors at Rooppur with incompetent people in the regulatory body being fully aware of the consequences of a nuclear disaster? It is now clear why the qualifications of the top brass of BAERA were recently relaxed to “adequate qualification and experience about nuclear energy management” (DS, October 17, 2014).

Can we afford a white elephant or a nuclear accident? Why are we then proceeding with the nuclear power project at Rooppur without first building our own manpower? I wonder if God will save us from a nuclear disaster if we ask for it!

The writer is a former chief engineer of Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission and author of Rooppur & the Power Crisis.