Asian nuclear conference starts Monday
By IANSSaturday, October 9, 2010
CHENNAI - Senior officials of India’s nuclear energy establishment will discuss all aspects and potential of atomic power with their global counterparts at the three-day International Conference on Asian Nuclear Prospects (ANUP 2010) starting here Oct 11.
The conference, to be held in Mahabalipuram, a resort town around 60 km from here, is being organised by one of the India’s premier scientific research institutions, the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) and will be inaugurated by Minister for State for Science and Technology Prithiviraj Chavan.
“The growth of nuclear power in the world will happen in Asia. But there are no forums for the Asian countries to deliberate on the issues and ANUP is designed to act as one,” event’s convener P.R.Vasudeva Rao told IANS.
Around 300 delegates from different countries including 60 invited speakers from France, Japan, China, the US, Germany, Russia, South Korea, Sweden, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as well as India will be participating in the event.
Nuclear Power Corporation of Indian Ltd (NPCIL) chairman and managing director S.K.Jain will kick start the technical programme Monday on the ‘Inevitability of Nuclear Power in Asia’.
“The participants would discuss nuclear power issues like fuel cycles, reactor technologies, social benefits, fuel reprocessing, disposal of spent fuel and other issues,” Rao added.
Officials from companies like Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), Larsen and Toubro, Areva, Westinghouse, and Comeco will make their presentations.
The central government’s Principal Scientific Advisor R.Chidambaram, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) chairman Srikumar Banerjee, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) director R.K.Sinha and IGCAR director Baldev Raj will be participating in the event.
IAEAs Deputy Director General Yuri Sokolov and two former heads of AEC - Anil Kakodkar and M.R.Srinivasan - will also be participating in the conference.
As a part of encouraging young scientists, papers of eight young researchers will also be presented at the conference.
Rao said ten corporates operating in the nuclear power field will be exhibiting their products/services at the venue.
The first ANUP conference was held in 2008 in Japan.
