Srikumar Banerjee, Director, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Trombay, has been appointed Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission (AEC). He will also be Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy (DAE). He will hold office for three years. He will take over from Anil Kakodkar on November 30 who is retiring on that day after a 45-year career in the DAE.
Dr. Banerjee, who joined BARC in 1968, is a leading expert in materials science and technology. He has made important contributions in materials-related areas, both basic and application-oriented. He earned a Ph.D. in Metallurgical Engineering in 1974 from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur.
Dr. Banerjee, who was passing through Chennai on Thursday evening, said the focus of the DAE’s programmes, after he takes over office, would not change. The DAE had two parallel nuclear power generation programmes. One was the indigenous Pressurised Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) programme which, he said, “will continue.” The DAE had received the Union government’s clearance for building four indigenous PHWRs of 700 MWe each — two at Rawatbhatta in Rajasthan and two at Kakrapara in Gujarat. Besides, India had the indigenous fast breeder reactor programme. After the 500 MWe Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor at Kalpakkam near Chennai, became operational, the number of breeder reactors in India would multiply. The DAE would also focus on building reactors that would use thorium. “With the door of the international cooperation having opened,” India would import reactors which would enhance the total capacity of nuclear power generation, he said.
On the application-side, he said, there would be more focus on radiation processing of food products. Several radiation processing centres had come up in the private sector and they were contributing to radiation processing of food items, sterilisation of medical products and so on. Irradiation of food could be done with both gamma rays and electrons. “We are developing an electron accelerator which has many applications,” Dr. Banerjee said. For instance, containers could be scanned with electrons to check whether they had any contraband.
