CHENNAI, DEC 8   :   An on site Emergency exercise was conducted on Friday at the
Department of Atomic Energy’s (DAE) power facilities at Kalpakkam, about 70 km from
here on Friday.

The exercise lasted about 150 minutes and was successful in meeting the requirements
stipulated by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB) for emergency preparedness
at nuclear facilities.

The exercise involved participation of more than 7,500 personnel in the site who were
evacuated.

The evacuation of the site personnel was accomplished within a time span of 1½ hours
and the entire site emergency exercise was completed in 2½ hours.

The 2-1/2 hour exercise also enhanced the confidence in the capabilities of the DAE in
handling any events at nuclear facilities.

The DAE Kalpakkam Centre has multiple facilities functioning like the Madras Atomic
Power Station (MAPS) being operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India
Limited (NPCIL), the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR), the under
construction Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor BHAVINI and Nuclear Recycle Board, etc.

Site Emergency Exercise is conducted at this Centre every year as part of its Emergency Preparedness plan and it was conducted today, MAPS Station Director and Site Emergency
Director, Kalpakkam DAE Centre Sudhir B. Shelke said.

The objective of this exercise is to check the preparedness of Kalpakkam DAE
Centre and the Plant Management in meeting any remote emergency situation,
despite the fact that such an occurrence is highly unlikely in a Nuclear Power Plant
because of the Defence in Depth philosophy in the design and operation of the
plant.

The conduct of this exercise was overseen by the Kalpakkam Emergency
Committee (KEC) headed by Mr Sudhir Shelke and it was conducted as an
unannounced exercise.

The exercise was conducted as laid down in the Emergency Plan of Kalpakkam
DAE Centre and demonstrated the following major response actions that included
Sheltering of site personnel in their respective units; Treatment of injured person;

Administration of Stable iodine tablets (notionally toffees) to the personnel as a
protective action; Evacuation of all non-essential personnel out of the site; Mock
decontamination of a contaminated vehicle within the site, among others.

Senior officials including Directors of Kalpakkam DAE Centre units and observers
from the AERB observed the conduct of the exercise.

While the exercise was successful in meeting the requirements stipulated by AERB for
emergency preparedness at nuclear facilities, it also enhanced the confidence in the
capabilities of the DAE in handling any events at nuclear facilities.*UNI)