Colombo: The Sri Lankan government on Tuesday said it could not rule out the possibility of a threat to the island posed by the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in neighbouring India. Sri Lanka's Research and Technology Minister Patali Champika Ranawaka said that Sri Lanka has sought an agreement with India where information on the power plant would be shared but so far India has not responded to that request, Xinhua reported. The minister said Sri Lanka could not rule out a threat being posed to the island from the Indian power plant if there is a disaster similar to the Fukushima incident in Japan.

The KNPP in the south Indian state of Tamil Nadu has now been connected to the power grid for the first time. Ranawaka said that local authorities continue to carry out tests to look for any radiation that may come from the Indian power plant. The minister also said that the Sri Lankan government was yet to take a policy decision on turning to nuclear energy to meet the electricity demands of the country. Protests have been staged in India against the power plant while in Sri Lanka groups have raised concerns as the power plant is located in the part of India which is closest to Sri Lanka. In March this year, India denied reports of leaks having developed in critical equipment of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant which could result in radiation leaks posing a threat to Sri Lanka. The Indian high commission in Colombo said those reports were totally baseless.