Yes we can

Are they safe enough? Photo: David Henderson

THERE is widespread scepticism among the intelligentsia of Bangladesh when it comes to employing nuclear technology for power generation. They say it is too sophisticated, too dangerous and is for the developed countries.
But are these fears based on facts?
When Dr. I.H. Usmani, chairman of the then Pakistan AEC, recruited manpower in the early 1960s to develop the base for nuclear applications, he was more or less even-handed in employing scientists and engineers from both the wings of the country.
As a result of the tumultuous events of 1971, when the two wings parted company, our respective nuclear manpower bases were more or less equal. This fact was recognised in a survey by TIME magazine in the mid-seventies as to which countries were capable of developing nuclear weapons. Both Bangladesh and Pakistan, amongst others, were mentioned.
While Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto decided to build the nuclear bomb even if they had to eat grass, our political leadership had to deal with the aftermath of the utter destruction resulting from the War of Liberation.
Lacking satisfactory jobs in the nuclear field at home, of the two senior-most nuclear engineers of that generation one went on to build and manage the Ashuganj Fertilizer Factory and the other joined the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd (AECL). He was entrusted to head the operations of the Embalse Nuclear Power Station in Argentina and later on to be the Commissioning Manager of the Cernavoda Reactor in Rumania.
The next-level professionals of that era went on to teach nuclear engineering courses in the Middle East, do research in far away places like Brazil, test and certify nuclear reactor operators in Canada, etc.
In spite of our limited resources, we are fortunate that the country had at least invested in a research reactor at Savar, which we have been operating successfully since 1986. The technical problems that arose were all been solved using local expertise.
As regards nuclear technology being the prerogative of the developed world, look no further than across our border. India has currently 19 reactors in operation (the first one operating since 1969) and 4 reactors under construction, while for Pakistan the figures are 2 (first one operating since 1971) and 1 respectively.
UAE ordered four 1400 MW power reactors (to come on stream between 2017 and 2020) from South Korea last December. Is our manpower in any way inferior to any of these developing countries?
As for the capability of the developing countries to operate these sophisticated facilities safely, the record is mixed. Of the two most serious accidents in power reactors that have taken place so far, one was in the "developed" US (Three Mile Island {TM}in 1979) and the other in the "developing" former USSR (Chernobyl in 1986). Note also that both accidents happened in the lands of the nuclear superpowers.
Safe operation of a nuclear power station requires three basic features:
-An inherently safe reactor design,
-Rigorous operator training, and
-A safety culture.
An inherently safe design in case of TMI prevented the release of radioactivity to the outside environment even though half the core melted. No deaths occurred.
Chernobyl was lacking in all the three areas. It was compounded by the culture of secrecy of the Soviet era. Even the occurrence of the accident was denied by Moscow for a number of days. Chernobyl was a disaster waiting to happen. No wonder that there were no takers this type of reactors outside of the former USSR. However, lessons have been learnt and improvements have been made even in this type of reactor.
The man-machine interface has undergone radical change as a result of these two accidents. Previously, the attempt was to determine the root cause of an emergency and take remedial action. However, with hundreds of alarm signals flashing in the control panel, it was found well nigh impossible to determine on the spot what the root cause was.
Now, the requirement for the operator has been made much simpler: to just ensure that the reactor core fuel is covered with coolant under sufficient pressure, i.e. to make sure that the reactor proper is safe -- other things can be taken care of later.
I believe that operating a well-designed nuclear power station with a properly qualified and trained crew is no more difficult than flying jumbo jets -- which our pilots are doing regularly.
The 438 nuclear pow?er reactors currently operating in the world are run by people who eat, drink and dream like us. No special genes are involved.
Why then should we suffer from any inferiority complex?
Let us not, therefore, question our ability to operate nuclear power stations. Certainly this is a challenge, but at least we have a base (the Savar research reactor) to train our staff in.
Yes we can.

Engr. ABM Nurul Islam is a former BAEC and IAEA official.