HYDERABAD
20 MARCH 2012
Echoes of Kudankulam would be felt in distant Seoul next week when heads of state or
government from about 50 countries gather in the South Korean capital for the second
edition of the nuclear safety summit.
On their agenda will not only be nuclear safety but also the future of nuclear as an
energy source, post the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011.
While there is a strong popular sentiment against nuclear energy in Japan and a host of
other Asian nations, South Korea and India stand out as an exception where
governments have signalled their intention to pursue the nuclear power path.
The March 26-27 summit, which will be attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
Chinese President Hu Jintao and US President Barack Obama, among others, can be
expected to discuss issues such as guidelines for nuclear safety.
The US hosted the inaugural nuclear safety summit in 2010.
A week before Dr Singh leaves for Seoul, Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa ended
the eight-month-long uncertainty over the future of the Kudankulam nuclear power project
by giving her go ahead.
Work at the site had been affected by the protests by locals spearheaded by a People's
Movement Against Nuclear Energy, which feared a Fukushima-like catastrophe in
Kudankulam.
The decision to restart work at Kudankulam coincides with China's decision to resume
construction of nuclear power plants. China currently has 13 nuclear power plants with
varied capacities.
China suspended approving new nuclear power projects and launched nationwide safety
inspections at nuclear power stations and facilities in operation and under construction
over safety concerns after the Fukushima nuclear crisis.
According to state-run Beijing Review, China at present has approved 43 nuclear power
plants, with a planned capacity of 200 million KW. These plants are located in 16
provinces, including eight in inland areas.
Incidentally, South Korea is one country where Prime Minister should find himself at
ease. In a poll conducted by worldpublicopinion.org a few years ago, Dr Singh was voted
among the most popular "regional" leaders in South Korea with 47 per cent South Korean
nationals saying they trusted him more than others.
In the 20-country poll, 30 per cent of Chinese leaned positively towards Dr Singh
although the Chinese views of him had become more negative as compared to the
previous poll. He also enjoyed an overwhelming support (83 per cent) among Indians.
In contrast, Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari fared poorly on the confidence index. Only
34 per cent of the Pakistanis had confidence in him.
