UN watchdog says Indian nuke reactors "best and safest"

PanARMENIAN.Net - The UN nuclear watchdog has said India's reactors are among the "best and safest" in the world, BBC News reported.

After doing an audit of two reactors at the Rajasthan Atomic Power Station over several weeks, it said the plant "can withstand a Fukushima-type accident." The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), however, said "improvements were needed in fire protection and electrical cabling systems".

This is the first time ever that India has allowed access to UN inspectors.

Indian experts, however, say the situation at some of the older reactors is different and that India must allow UN inspectors to audit them too.

"India has emerged a winner with a high global safety rank [in the audit]," Miroslav Lipar, head of the Operational Safety Division at the IAEA in Vienna, said.

"The Indian reactors are safe and impressive," he said, but also pointed out that "there was room for improvement".

Lipar said the two reactors they assessed "were among the best reactors in the world which showcased some good practices from which the world could also learn".