India Nuclear News and Discussion 4 July 2011

[Prem]

Major uranium reserves found in Srisailam forests

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 181983.cms

HYDERABAD: India's plan for a 'strategic uranium reserve' received a shot in the arm with a joint research team of the city-headquartered Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) and Osmania University discovering significant quantity of uranium reserves in the Srisailam forests. The AMD-OU team carried out research in an area spread over 45 sq km around Srisailam sub-basin of Kadapa super basin in Andhra Pradesh. A part of the Kadapa super basin extends over to Telangana state. The team zeroed in on Chennakesavula Gutta and Padra villages using the latest equipment to detect the precious radioactive element. The quality of the uranium mineralization discovered in these two areas is superior and comparable to the one available in Canada and Australia, team members informed. Earlier, the AMD had discovered uranium reserves in pockets of Mahbubnagar, Karimnagar and Nalgonda districts in Telangana and Guntur and Kadapa districts in Andhra Pradesh. Chennakesavula Gutta and Padra are the latest addition to the vast uranium resources in the two Telugu states. Officials have estimated that AP has about five lakh tonnes of uranium reserves, mostly in the Kadapa super basin while Telangana has about a lakh tonnes of the nuclear resource. The latest discovery has added to the country's nuclear fuel security. AP and Telangana together account for 25 per cent of India's uranium reserves.The research team comprising S Niranjan Kumar of AMD and Vishnu Bhoopathi, RSN Sastry and B Srinivas of the department of applied geochemistry, Osmania University, published the discovery in the recent issue of the Chinese Journal of Geochemistry. "This discovery represents a significant breakthrough and may contribute substantially to the uranium resource of India. More significantly, the geological understanding of this unique mineralization may give definite clues in locating the classical unconformity-type deposits in the northern parts of the Kadapa basin," the geochemists pointed out.Analysis of the samples collected from Chennakesavula Gutta and Padra villages showed up to 202 parts per million of uranium. Also the uranium deposit in Amrabad mandal of Mahbubnagar district has been found to be unique. "Efforts in the identical geological set-up of Srisailam sub-basin will result in establishing many such deposits of similar quality," they said. The Uranium Corporation of India has already set up a uranium mining mill at Tummalapalle village in Kadapa district. It has proposed a similar project Lambapur-Peddagattu region in Nalgonda district. A mega nuclear power project has been planned in Srikakulam district and the new discovery in Srisailam is likely to make India self-sufficient in nuclear fuel.

(When Nuclear deal talks with Massan was initiated , India had only 70000 TOns of Uranium Now already being mentioned in term of Million of Tons )

[Guddu]

Iam wondering if the strategic reserve accumulation, suggests plans for a dhamakka

[Tuvaluan]

Any U from the international market will be on the civilian part of the civilian/military separation Indo-US deal, which the GoI need not adhere to, given how the US has not adhered to its part of the 123 bargain. Been wondering about all the love-and-affection articles from the brookings Mofos recently...what's up with that.

[amit]

Major uranium reserves found in Srisailam forests

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indi ... 181983.cms

HYDERABAD: India's plan for a 'strategic uranium reserve' received a shot in the arm with a joint research team of the city-headquartered Atomic Minerals Directorate (AMD) and Osmania University discovering significant quantity of uranium reserves in the Srisailam forests. The AMD-OU team carried out research in an area spread over 45 sq km around Srisailam sub-basin of Kadapa super basin in Andhra Pradesh. A part of the Kadapa super basin extends over to Telangana state. The team zeroed in on Chennakesavula Gutta and Padra villages using the latest equipment to detect the precious radioactive element. The quality of the uranium mineralization discovered in these two areas is superior and comparable to the one available in Canada and Australia, team members informed. Earlier, the AMD had discovered uranium reserves in pockets of Mahbubnagar, Karimnagar and Nalgonda districts in Telangana and Guntur and Kadapa districts in Andhra Pradesh. Chennakesavula Gutta and Padra are the latest addition to the vast uranium resources in the two Telugu states. Officials have estimated that AP has about five lakh tonnes of uranium reserves, mostly in the Kadapa super basin while Telangana has about a lakh tonnes of the nuclear resource. The latest discovery has added to the country's nuclear fuel security. AP and Telangana together account for 25 per cent of India's uranium reserves.The research team comprising S Niranjan Kumar of AMD and Vishnu Bhoopathi, RSN Sastry and B Srinivas of the department of applied geochemistry, Osmania University, published the discovery in the recent issue of the Chinese Journal of Geochemistry. "This discovery represents a significant breakthrough and may contribute substantially to the uranium resource of India. More significantly, the geological understanding of this unique mineralization may give definite clues in locating the classical unconformity-type deposits in the northern parts of the Kadapa basin," the geochemists pointed out.Analysis of the samples collected from Chennakesavula Gutta and Padra villages showed up to 202 parts per million of uranium. Also the uranium deposit in Amrabad mandal of Mahbubnagar district has been found to be unique. "Efforts in the identical geological set-up of Srisailam sub-basin will result in establishing many such deposits of similar quality," they said. The Uranium Corporation of India has already set up a uranium mining mill at Tummalapalle village in Kadapa district. It has proposed a similar project Lambapur-Peddagattu region in Nalgonda district. A mega nuclear power project has been planned in Srikakulam district and the new discovery in Srisailam is likely to make India self-sufficient in nuclear fuel.

(When Nuclear deal talks with Massan was initiated , India had only 70000 TOns of Uranium Now already being mentioned in term of Million of Tons )

Now just wait for tribals and environmental groups and assorted NGOs coming out of the woodwork to protest against the "evil" government jeopardising the lives of trillions of people.

[nachiket]

I fully expect S.P. Udaykumar to show up in AP the day they announce plans to mine the deposits.

[SaiK]

^not just ngo, but evangelists will trigger dalit movements as well.. there will be huge conversion rows, church khujli burn ups, land problems, caste issues, rights, democracy, oppression and injustice. env is the end all!

[sanjaykumar]

church khujli burn ups


I don't think so, too many churches being burnt elsewhere, would be uncomfortable to raise any such issue.

[ShauryaT]

A recount of the events from a direct source.

The Indo-U.S. civil Nuclear Agreement – Ten Years After - Shyam Saran

What did the nuclear deal achieve for India? Most importantly it expanded India’s strategic space, enabling it to leverage its enhanced relationship with the U.S. to upgrade its relations with other partners as well. That the U.S. was prepared to take such a major initiative with India despite the risks to its non-proliferation objectives, put India in a category of major global players and Delhi as an indispensable destination for leaders across the globe.

The deal also led to the dismantling of most of the technology denial regimes operating against India since 1974 and which had been progressively expanded to cover most dual use items as well. Since the deal was concluded barely 0.5% of high tech US exports are subject to licensing. In 2005, the figure was 10%. The U.S. lead has been followed by other major high tech supplier countries like Japan and Germany. The relaxation of export controls has also led to a significant increase in defence related trade and collaboration with the U.S. as well as with other partner countries.

It is true that so far deals for setting up new nuclear plants have not been materialized. The nuclear liability law was an issue but now that it has been resolved we may begin to see some progress. However, the deal has opened the way for India to conclude long term uranium supply agreements with several countries. This has enabled capacity utilization in our nuclear plants to reach 80-85% when in 2005 shortage of fuel due to NSG restrictions had pushed utilization down to 30-35%. India is very much in the international mainstream as far as nuclear issues are concerned despite continuing to be outside the NPT. Its membership of the NSG is being supported by the US and is likely to come
through though there are challenges which need to be overcome through intensive diplomacy.

Ten years after the deal was announced, India-U.S. relations are stronger than they have ever been. They may not have been if the nuclear deal had not cleared the decks of the negative legacies of the past and created a culture of engagement and dialogue. The deal was being commemorated in Washington recently and its importance was underlined by the U.S. Vice-President himself attending one of the events and delivering an important speech. What he said certainly resonates among those of us who were privileged to be associated with its negotiation. He observed that ultimately this deal was not so much about the nuclear issue as it was about India. It reminded me of similar remarks made to me by the Brazilian, Mexican and South African representatives just after the NSG waiver was extended to India on September 8, 2008. They conveyed their warm congratulations on a signal achievement against the most difficult odds but added, Make no mistake this has been possible only because it was for India.
I thank you for your attention.

[SSridhar]

Nuclear disarmament advocate P.R. Chari passes away - The Hindu

One of India's most well-known proponents of nuclear disarmament, P.R. Chari, passed away in New Delhi on Friday.

He was 79.

Mr. Chari, a former officer of the Indian Administrative Services, served two terms in the Defence Ministry, and was also a former Director of the Institute of Defence and Strategic Analysis (IDSA) from 1975-1980. Both the assignments would have involved adopting a more “hawkish” position on India's strategic doctrine.

Mr. Chari was also closely associated and even related to K. Subrahmanyam, India's strategic guru who was a supporter of the nuclear programme. Dr. Subrahmanyam (whose son is Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar) also preceded and succeeded Mr. Chari at IDSA. However, in his writings Mr. Chari took an opposite view to Dr. Subrahmanyam and most other strategic thinkers of his time, advocating instead on the need for India to give up nuclear weapons. “Later he came to accept India's nuclear bomb and pushed for India's membership to nuclear regimes like MTCR, Wassenar arrangement, Australia group and the Nuclear Suppliers Group, which is what the government is doing now,” recalls disarmament scholar Vidya Shankar Aiyar, who was an associate.

After his retirement in 1992, Mr. Chari, who took up fellowships at Harvard University and the University of Illinois, took to writing extensively on the subject of disarmament.

[JE Menon]

Just a datapoint, from Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidya_Shankar_Aiyar

Vidya Shankar Aiyar is a journalist and independent strategic analyst, and former Executive Editor of CNN IBN. Aiyar obtained a doctorate on the breakup of the Soviet Union from Jawaharlal Nehru University in 1997.[1][2] Aiyar worked an anchor for Channel NewsAsia, Singapore. While working at Channel NewsAsia, Aiyar was sentenced to 15 months in prison and four strokes of the cane by a district court in Singapore in 2004. He managed to escape the caning because of health reasons. The court reportedly found Aiyar guilty of molesting a female colleague after a party in 2002, describing him as a "hunting wolf in sheep’s clothing".[3] Aiyar was released before serving his sentence on grounds of good behaviour, and was also spared the cane.[4] After his release, Aiyar joined CNN IBN, where he served as Executive Editor.[5]

Aiyar is the nephew of the Indian politician Mani Shankar Aiyar.[6] Aiyar and his uncle have together been a part of an Informal Group on carrying forward the Rajiv Gandhi Action Plan on disarmament.

[SSridhar]

JEM, brilliant. Thanks.

[JE Menon]

No sweat SS. The sex-offender VS Aiyar (nephew of Mani Shankar Aiyar) is trying to finesse the role PR Chari played and to give him some sort of image boost posthumously... Wanted to put it in context

[Vayutuvan]

From wiki page on Stephen Cohen:

P. R. Chari; Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema; Stephen P. Cohen (2000). The Compound Crisis of 1990: Perception, Politics, and Insecurity. Program in Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

At about this time Prof. Rajmohan Gandhi was a PolSci professor at UIUC teaching/writing about moral re-armament. NPR used to have several people from the program "Program in Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security" holding forth on the need for CRE of India's nuclear capabilities.

[Philip]

The MRA was a CIA tool!

http://www.namebase.org/news05.html
[quote]
Former CIA officer Miles Copeland claims that his CIA colleague Bob Mandelstam made "arrangements" with Scientology and Moral Re-Armament about this time.[24] (Moral Re-Armament is another cult-like organization; Copeland's information on MRA is confirmed by the late Jim Wilcott, an accountant with the CIA in Japan in the early 1960s, who wrote that MRA "was covertly supported and used by the CIA."[/quote]

[Mukesh.Kumar]

MIT- A small, modular, efficient fusion plant


Researchers at MIT have proposed a practical small fusion reactor which has a net energy gain factor of 2-3. The key is commercially available superconducting materials which have allowed generation of a stronger magnetic field to confine the super hot plasma. According to their estimate the new technology can be commercialized in as less as ten years.



Those interested in the paper in detail can find it here.

[wig]

Why reprocessing of spent fuel from nuclear reactors makes little sense

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ind ... 629864.cms
excertps

One scientist has reportedly alleged that his supervisor had directed that effluents from the reprocessing plant be released into the sea with radioactivity levels much higher than permissible limits. Due to the absence of a transparent inquiry, we cannot ascertain the veracity of this allegation, but there is a historical basis for taking this seriously.

[SSridhar]

FBTR at Kalpakkam is supposed to attain criticality in September. Waiting eagerly for that long-awaited & significant event.

[gakakkad]

Why reprocessing of spent fuel from nuclear reactors makes little sense

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ind ... 629864.cms
excertps

One scientist has reportedly alleged that his supervisor had directed that effluents from the reprocessing plant be released into the sea with radioactivity levels much higher than permissible limits. Due to the absence of a transparent inquiry, we cannot ascertain the veracity of this allegation, but there is a historical basis for taking this seriously.

This is too much nonsense coming from MVR...And the pattern is not unknown ... How often , how unsubstantiated media reports citing undisclosed sources made outlandish claims ? I refuse to believe that BARC is disposing radioactive waste in sea beyond the safety limit..obviously agenda driven...and how would reporters know of private letters between PM and BARC scientists? assuming they even occurred ? he usually writes from the american perspective..but afaik has never been this blatant..

I did read and post a lot about our reprocessing program...But I have forgotten a lot since those days...IIRC we never had a massive program in any case...Basically MVR is making a case for using heu based LWRs instead of FBRs or LEU based PWHRs...Which is not surprising as he had played a role in the nuclear deal...

Insofar as the economics and feasibility aspects are concerned , AFAIK no one in the forum is sufficiently qualified to comment ...not much info is available in public domain...

[Tuvaluan]

Basically MVR is making a case for using heu based LWRs instead of FBRs or LEU based PWHRs...Which is not surprising as he had played a role in the nuclear deal...

IIRC, MVR had nothing to do with the nuclear deal except play spoiler and write motivated BS arguing against the nuclear deal (like his guide Von Hippel and the rest of the arms control oiseaules from Princeton). Everything MV Ramana writes is an utter lie without question, so it is not worth even reading.

[Vipul]

^^ India's fast breeder reactor to go critical soon.

India's first 500 MW sodium-cooled fast breeder reactor would go critical by the year-end at Kalpakkam near Chennai, a top official said on Wednesday.

"Commissioning of a nuclear reactor is a four-stage process. We are completing the first stage of integrating the equipment and functioning of all components by this week-end," Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BNVN) chairman and managing director P. Chellapandi told IANS here.

BNVN was set up by the government under the Atomic Energy Board over a decade ago to generate power through fast breeder reactors (FBRs) by making optimal use of spent fuels like plutonium and uranium piled up over the years from 20 other types of reactors across the country.

In the second stage, technologists will fill control rods with sodium in circuits and conduct performance testing of pumps in September after regulatory clearance.

The company is importing sodium from France in view of its superior quality for cooling in the prototype reactor with other two elements.

"In the third stage, we will load the mox fuel, a mix of 75 percent uranium and 25 percent plutonium to make the reactor go critical for sustained charging and increase power generation gradually," Chellapandi said on the margins of an event.

In the fourth and final stage, power generated from the reactor will be connected to the power grid by August-September 2016 and supplied to discoms (distributing companies) on commercial basis.

"India is the only second country after Russia to design and develop indigenously FBRs, which have more material for a nuclear fission than it consumes," he said.

Though the company will generate power in phases after completing the second stage and supply it to the grid free initially, the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board has to certify for commissioning and dedicating to the nation by this year-end.

Admitting that the project was behind schedule due to multiple factors and its cost had escalated 20 percent, Chellapandi said changes had to be made in design, materials and equipment for ensuring the reactor was free from hitches or glitches.

"The project got delayed by over a year for technical reasons and improving safety features, as the reactor facility is on the shore of Bay of Bengal, which was lashed by tsunami in December 2004," he said.

The company will build two more fast breeder reactors of 500 MW each by 2021 and 2025 at Kalpakkam, about 80 km from Chennai, and where the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research operates fast breeder test reactor and a uranium-fuelled mini reactor Kamini.

Chellapandi was in the city to deliver a keynote address at the third edition of the two-day "India Technology Congress 2015" on "Transforming India as a global engineering and technology hub - prospects and pathways", organised by the Institute of Engineers in partnership with the central government.

[Avarachan]

A recount of the events from a direct source.

The Indo-U.S. civil Nuclear Agreement – Ten Years After - Shyam Saran

What did the nuclear deal achieve for India? Most importantly it expanded India’s strategic space, enabling it to leverage its enhanced relationship with the U.S. to upgrade its relations with other partners as well. That the U.S. was prepared to take such a major initiative with India despite the risks to its non-proliferation objectives, put India in a category of major global players and Delhi as an indispensable destination for leaders across the globe.

The deal also led to the dismantling of most of the technology denial regimes operating against India since 1974 and which had been progressively expanded to cover most dual use items as well. Since the deal was concluded barely 0.5% of high tech US exports are subject to licensing. In 2005, the figure was 10%. The U.S. lead has been followed by other major high tech supplier countries like Japan and Germany. The relaxation of export controls has also led to a significant increase in defence related trade and collaboration with the U.S. as well as with other partner countries.

It is true that so far deals for setting up new nuclear plants have not been materialized. The nuclear liability law was an issue but now that it has been resolved we may begin to see some progress. However, the deal has opened the way for India to conclude long term uranium supply agreements with several countries. This has enabled capacity utilization in our nuclear plants to reach 80-85% when in 2005 shortage of fuel due to NSG restrictions had pushed utilization down to 30-35%. India is very much in the international mainstream as far as nuclear issues are concerned despite continuing to be outside the NPT. Its membership of the NSG is being supported by the US and is likely to come
through though there are challenges which need to be overcome through intensive diplomacy.

Ten years after the deal was announced, India-U.S. relations are stronger than they have ever been. They may not have been if the nuclear deal had not cleared the decks of the negative legacies of the past and created a culture of engagement and dialogue. The deal was being commemorated in Washington recently and its importance was underlined by the U.S. Vice-President himself attending one of the events and delivering an important speech. What he said certainly resonates among those of us who were privileged to be associated with its negotiation. He observed that ultimately this deal was not so much about the nuclear issue as it was about India. It reminded me of similar remarks made to me by the Brazilian, Mexican and South African representatives just after the NSG waiver was extended to India on September 8, 2008. They conveyed their warm congratulations on a signal achievement against the most difficult odds but added, Make no mistake this has been possible only because it was for India.
I thank you for your attention.

Thanks for posting this. The entire 17-page document is worth reading. I disagree with Shyam Saran on the nuclear liability bill, though.

[Hiten]

what Reactor is this?

via http://www.aame.in/2015/08/pop-quiz-what-is-this.html

[gakakkad]

gas cooled

ok got it...it is the compact high temperature reactor by BARC...

design details here..

http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Meetings/P ... gramme.pdf

[Amber G.]

..it is the compact high temperature reactor by BARC...

design details here..

http://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Meetings/P ... gramme.pdf

Thanks for posting this. If you remember...I posted way back in 2011 ( here is the original <post> still relevant) about Pebble bed reactors or HGTR/VHTR type reactors. At that time, I was hoping that India strongly do research/development for such reactors. (China was very interested and privately and publicly I learnt that India Indeed is doing good work. Kudos!)

(I posted in brf detailed presentation given by a Chinese scientist then)

Anyway.. Excerpts from that post..

... I have a question, and thanks in advance, if you (or Somnath or GP et al) can point to a source, or give your perspective. { Wish Gerald/GuruPrabhu did not take - or forced to take sanyas from posting it here }

What is the status of any research into pebble bed reactors ( HTGR or other VHTR) in India?
(Recently { this was 2011} this came into a conversation I was having with a physicist and came to know that China is very serious about this and has invested a lot - also that India does have some knowledge/technology wrt manufacturing TRISO and pebbles)

For those who are unfamiliar with pebble bed reactors.. any good source, such as this one from MIT http://web.mit.edu/pebble-bed/.. is a good starting point.

From physics point of view as far as Fission reactors go -

- There is virtually no chance of re-activity type ((Chernoyble) of accidents.. (reaction will stop if moderator is not there)
- There is virtually no chance of Fukushima (loss of Coolant) type accidents.. (Even if all the power and coolant is gone .. reactor will still be okay - No meltdown )
- High efficiency (about twice of normal BWR etc..)
- Radioactive discharge in environment - many magnitude lower than BWR (100x lower)
- Very suitable for Th as a fuel
- No need to shutdown while changing fuel etc..


(Germany was the first one to use but they stopped and discarded the technology after an accident.. more for political /PR reason than technical reason (IMO). Actually some one I respect a lot, and who knows a lot about such things, told me that that decision by Germany was very silly... BTW China's efforts, I am told, are based on German design.)

[Amber G.]

Also from then..

For those interested in technical aspects of nuclear power as it relates to India.. A few random news items..India should be watching.

I (and a few others) talked about pebble bed type reactors, (which may have been lost in all that noise).. DOE in USA has recently awarded some money for these types of HTGR( high-temperature gas cooled reactor studies

(For basic background , wiki article may be helpful: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Very_high_ ... re_reactor
.

Also, MIT (http://web.mit.edu/pebble-bed/) basic info, along with article posted by gakakkadji

FWIW from what I know, China is taking these designs very seriously, there is a prototype (10 MW HTR-10), a conventional helium-cooled, helium-turbine design in Beijing and I think 250-MW plant is on line ..If they find the design useful ..news reports/rumors suggest firm plans for 20-30 such plants by 2020 ... or as much as 300GW by 2050.

[chaanakya]

How many NPPs have been added so far??

[chaanakya]

In 2011-12 reporting period the toall installed capacity of power plants was 185GW in India with NPP at 4780MW and RS at 20162 MW.
By 2015 we have now 276GW of which 191GW is thermal and 5780MW NPP and RES 36777MW. NPP still remains in 2+% range of total power generation. If it achieves 5% of total capacity I would consider it a big achievement.

The gap in demand and supply is about 8-10% and peak gap is 13-15% at most in India. Not counting unrealised demand due to lack of access or purchase power. This can be easily mitigated by energy efficiency measures without adding a single power plant. RES will be very important for future energy needs without much worrying about loss of cities and towns for unforseeable time or toxicity of radioactive waste and disposal. Of course there is a need for healthy mix of energy source needed for economy to power on.

[Vipul]

India to get first fast reactor fuel reprocessing plant in TN for Rs 9,600 crore.

The foundation for India's first fast reactor fuel reprocessing plant to be built at a cost of Rs 9,600 crore is expected to be laid in two months' time at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu, a top official has said.

"The soil excavation work for the fuel reprocessing plants is almost over as the rocky layer has been reached. In two months' time, the foundation for the reprocessing plants would be laid," P.R. Vasudeva Rao, director, Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) told IANS in an interview.

Rao said the FRFCF will be the first of its kind plant dedicated solely to reprocessing fast reactor fuels to cater to a commercial-sized reactor. He said the foundation has been laid for some of the administrative buildings connected to the Rs.9,600 crore Fast Reactor Fuel Cycle Facility (FRFCF).

Though FRFCF will have only fuel reprocessing plants and not a reactor, Rao said the plant buildings have to be seismically qualified and hence the need for deep excavation. Similarly all other safety aspects are being considered and incorporated in the project construction stage.

Rao said action on tenders for nearly 50 percent of the total project cost is under progress. He said orders for long delivery machinery and equipment worth around Rs.500 crore have been placed till date. "The facility is slated to be commissioned towards the end of 2019," Rao said. Rao said around Rs.500 crore would be spent on the project this fiscal.

IGCAR, as per its mandate, designed and developed the 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) which is now being built by Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam Ltd (BHAVINI) at Kalpakkam.

A fast-breeder reactor is one which breeds more material for a nuclear fission reaction than it consumes. It is the key to India's three-stage nuclear power programme. The purpose of FRFCF is to reprocess the spent fuel of PFBR and also other two fast reactors expected to come up at Kalpakkam, around 70 km from here.

According to Rao, the FRFCF can, with little augmentation, reprocess the spent fuel from the additional fast reactors that would come up. As to the FRFCF's fuel reprocessing capacity, Rao said every eighth month one-third of the PFBR's 181 fuel sub-assemblies have to be taken out of the reactor for reprocessing and new fuel sub-assemblies loaded in.

The FRFCF is expected to employ around 1,500-2,000 people and Rao said work on building residential quarters for the employees is also progressing simultaneously.

He said the FRFCF is designed by IGCAR, Nuclear Fuel Complex, Hyderabad and Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC), Mumbai.

"The FRFCF is not water-intensive and plans are there to meet the water needs through desalination plants," Rao said. He said IGCAR would shortly commission a new two million gallons per day desalination plant built an outlay of around Rs.40 crore.

"We have the experience in reprocessing fast reactor fuel used in fast breeder test reactor (FBTR) at IGCAR," Rao said. Asked about the finalisation of reactor design for the next two fast reactors, Rao said the design is yet to be finally approved. He said the new fast reactor design would not only incorporate the learning from PFBR but also ensure that the design is cost-effective."The new design is expected to reduce the material cost at least by 10 percent as compared to PFBR," Rao said.

[arun]

X Posted from the "Indian Missiles and Munitions Discussion - June'14" thread.

India's nuclear posture entering a new phase: Think tank

…………………{Image Snipped}……………….

………………. "Now, with several long-range ballistic missiles in development, the Indian nuclear posture is entering an important and dynamic new phase. After nearly two decades of concentrating on competition with Pakistan, India's nuclear outlook now seems to be focused more toward its future strategic relationship with China," authors Hans M Kristensen and Robert S Norris said in a report for Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

In the report titled "Indian nuclear forces, 2015", Kristensen and Norris said India was estimated to have produced approximately 540 kilogrammes of weapon-grade plutonium, enough for 135 to 180 nuclear warheads, though not all of that material is being used. ……………………

The cited Bulletin of Atomic Scientists article titled “Indian nuclear forces, 2015” by Hans M. Kristensen and Robert S. Norris.

Kristensen and Norris claim that India has no nuclear warhead with a yield exceeding 40 KT. See Table 1. :

Indian nuclear forces, 2015

[Vipul]

India has fissile material for 2,000 warheads: Pak media

Pakistan has assessed that India has enough fissile material for more than 2,000 warheads, a media report said on Thursday.
The media report said that contrary to international estimates, Pakistani assessment is that India has enough fissile material, both reactor and weapon-grade plutonium, for more than 2,000 warheads.

International Institute of Strategic Studies noted in a paper: "New Delhi's plutonium stocks also continue to pile up; according to one Pakistani assessment, by the end of 2013 India had produced enough weapons and reactor-grade plutonium (0.8-1tn and 15tn respectively) for 2,000 warheads."

Saying that there are no estimates available on Indian missile inventories, the media report said that concerns expressed by the NCA pertained to India's growing strategic capabilities in the form of new weapon systems, including submarine-launchable intercontinental and medium-range ballistic missiles and improvements in its ballistic missile defence.

The NCA also noted with concern India's rapidly expanding conventional military asymmetry and dangerous limited conventional war policy called Cold Start doctrine.

[arun]

It is extremely foolish for India in any shape or form to endorse this fallacious notion of “Third Party Mediation”. India has devoted an enormous amount of time and energy starting with the Simla Accord to lay down the policy that there is no room for third party mediation in bilateral relations with the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Let us not flush it down the toilet for some self serving US manipulation under the guise that Indian’s themselves arrived at this conclusion.

Let there also be no room for illusion on the part of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan that fomenting Mohammadden Terrorism under a Nuclear Umbrella will result in anything but severe punishment being meted out to the Islamic Republic irrespective of the damage India will have to absorb irrespective of any third party mediation attempts:

In an unusual dialogue that highlights Washington's concerns for the region, senior analysts, retired military officers and former diplomats met in Dubai last week to discuss options of pulling back from the brink of a full-blown nuclear war that would cause massive damage in the eventuality of an exchange of tactical (mini) nuclear weapons. ……………………..

The broad scenario that was followed started from a terror strike in India, in which a former ISI Major is caught, prompting Delhi to ask for the handing over of conspirators.

When Pakistan does not comply, India carries out strikes on military targets in Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).

This escalates into a full-blown war, in which an Indian armoured column enters Pakistan, which results in a tactical nuclear strike by Islamabad on its own territory to blunt the Indian attack ..............

Senior analyst Gurmeet Kanwal, who was present at the dialogue, told ET that among the key lessons that transpired from the three-day project was that third-party mediation would be vital for pulling back India and Pakistan from the brink of a full-blown annihilation war as neither India nor Pakistan would back out after a tactical nuclear strike.

"There was a consensus that deescalation would be vital after a limited nuclear strike and that a third-party mediation would be extremely necessary," Kanwal said.

Read more by Manu Pubby on Economic Times at:

US moderates dialogue on defusing tension post nuclear war between India, Pakistan

[JE Menon]

Another way of saying, one of at least two things:

1. Start accepting third party mediation over J&K now - and the conf is yet another of those prescriptions.
2. Pak will escalate until there is a real threat of nuclear confrontation.

In fact, there is only one solution that will end the prospect of nuclear war: denuclearize or dismantle Pakistan. It is delusional to think that Pakistan will stop after self-perceived "success". Everything in its history points to that fundamental reality.

[arun]

X Posted from the “India-US Relations : News and Discussion- II” thread.

Rahul Grover
‏@rahulgrover88

US may impose $18bn penalty on Volkswagen(German co ) and it wants india to reduce liabilities under nuclear liability to 1000cr for its cos

And 28 years jail for peanut company ceo for salmonella outbreak. Owner/manufacturer was held accountable for safety of yhe product

Very valid points. Citing the mindboggling penalties levied in the above two incidents, India should repudiate the below negotiated cap on nuclear liability:

Obama and Modi agree to limit US liability in case of nuclear disaster

For good order, links to articles on the Volkswagen and Peanut Corporation of America penalties:

Peanut butter boss faces 28 years in jail for fatal salmonella outbreak

Volkswagen could face $18 billion penalties from EPA

[KrishnaK]

In fact, there is only one solution that will end the prospect of nuclear war: denuclearize or dismantle Pakistan. It is delusional to think that Pakistan will stop after self-perceived "success". Everything in its history points to that fundamental reality.

Boss I'm assuming you're talking of a military solution. As much as it would satisfying, it's not happening. The US has attempted to change the Pakistani security posture only in Afghanistan, and even then only slightly, and has failed. They've accepted that failure along with the lives of thousands of it's own troops, simply because there's no other viable alternative. The only medium-long term option is economic bribery by India. IMO when India grows economically to the point where it's considered a peer of China, on it's own, we'll start to see gradual changes in Pakistan. It will have to be accompanied by India creating an economic area of sorts with countries along its borders by giving them preferential access to our markets.

[Kakkaji]

Another one bites the dust:

GE's Immelt rules out India nuclear investment under current law

In January, Modi and U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a plan centered on insurance aimed at breaking the stalemate, but India stopped short of softening the liability law. At the time, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy said it would review the governmental agreement in due course.

It appears to have fallen short of the company's requirements.

"I am not going to put my company at risk for anything -- there is no project that is worth it. We have to get common language on this," Immelt told reporters.

"There is an extremely standard liability regime that the rest of the world has adopted and as we go forward and think about investing, whatever happens has to homogenized between India and the rest of the world," he said.

I doubt Westinghouse will come in either.

So now only the Russians and the French are left. And the French prices are going to make the electricity too expensive for the buyers, just like what happened with the Enron power plant in Maharashtra.

So, in the end, it will be the Russians and NPCIL that will be building and operating nuclear power plants in India.

The biggest benefit of the the 1-2-3 agreement has been that NPCIL has been able to import uranium freely for its PHWRs. The imported LWRs have turned out to be an expensive pipe dream.

[hanumadu]

How will it affect our time lines for stage 2 and stage 3 of our nuclear fuel cycle?

[RoyG]

Another one bites the dust:

GE's Immelt rules out India nuclear investment under current law

In January, Modi and U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a plan centered on insurance aimed at breaking the stalemate, but India stopped short of softening the liability law. At the time, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy said it would review the governmental agreement in due course.

It appears to have fallen short of the company's requirements.

"I am not going to put my company at risk for anything -- there is no project that is worth it. We have to get common language on this," Immelt told reporters.

"There is an extremely standard liability regime that the rest of the world has adopted and as we go forward and think about investing, whatever happens has to homogenized between India and the rest of the world," he said.

I doubt Westinghouse will come in either.

So now only the Russians and the French are left. And the French prices are going to make the electricity too expensive for the buyers, just like what happened with the Enron power plant in Maharashtra.

So, in the end, it will be the Russians and NPCIL that will be building and operating nuclear power plants in India.

The biggest benefit of the the 1-2-3 agreement has been that NPCIL has been able to import uranium freely for its PHWRs. The imported LWRs have turned out to be an expensive pipe dream.

This is why the law was put into place. Indian security planners new that expensive reactors from abroad which are directly or indirectly influenced by American law have no place in our energy mix. We only needed the ability to import uranium. PHWR, VVER, breeder reactors, will be the way forward.

[Gyan]

IIRC South Korean s were also interested in supplying nuclear reactors.

[member_29172]

Another one bites the dust:

GE's Immelt rules out India nuclear investment under current law

In January, Modi and U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a plan centered on insurance aimed at breaking the stalemate, but India stopped short of softening the liability law. At the time, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy said it would review the governmental agreement in due course.

It appears to have fallen short of the company's requirements.

"I am not going to put my company at risk for anything -- there is no project that is worth it. We have to get common language on this," Immelt told reporters.

"There is an extremely standard liability regime that the rest of the world has adopted and as we go forward and think about investing, whatever happens has to homogenized between India and the rest of the world," he said.

I doubt Westinghouse will come in either.

So now only the Russians and the French are left. And the French prices are going to make the electricity too expensive for the buyers, just like what happened with the Enron power plant in Maharashtra.

So, in the end, it will be the Russians and NPCIL that will be building and operating nuclear power plants in India.

The biggest benefit of the the 1-2-3 agreement has been that NPCIL has been able to import uranium freely for its PHWRs. The imported LWRs have turned out to be an expensive pipe dream.

Pretty sure no third party company is worth the appeasement over potentially thousands of lives that will be affected if their sooper do dooper new clear plants. That and practically every hot shot American company is a front for american intelligence agency and their meddling in the NPT treaty. It's not worth it. It's about time our own plants are built by our own companies. L&T has extensive experience with the same I think

[chetak]

{quote="Kakkaji"}Another one bites the dust:

GE's Immelt rules out India nuclear investment under current law

In January, Modi and U.S. President Barack Obama unveiled a plan centered on insurance aimed at breaking the stalemate, but India stopped short of softening the liability law. At the time, GE-Hitachi Nuclear Energy said it would review the governmental agreement in due course.

It appears to have fallen short of the company's requirements.

"I am not going to put my company at risk for anything -- there is no project that is worth it. We have to get common language on this," Immelt told reporters.

"There is an extremely standard liability regime that the rest of the world has adopted and as we go forward and think about investing, whatever happens has to homogenized between India and the rest of the world," he said.

I doubt Westinghouse will come in either.

So now only the Russians and the French are left. And the French prices are going to make the electricity too expensive for the buyers, just like what happened with the Enron power plant in Maharashtra.

So, in the end, it will be the Russians and NPCIL that will be building and operating nuclear power plants in India.

The biggest benefit of the the 1-2-3 agreement has been that NPCIL has been able to import uranium freely for its PHWRs. The imported LWRs have turned out to be an expensive pipe dream.{/quote}



Pretty sure no third party company is worth the appeasement over potentially thousands of lives that will be affected if their sooper do dooper new clear plants. That and practically every hot shot American company is a front for american intelligence agency and their meddling in the NPT treaty. It's not worth it. It's about time our own plants are built by our own companies. L&T has extensive experience with the same I think

read somewhere that the US govt is going to fine the german VW company $18 Billion for the emission fraud. Its one company and the liability is virtually unlimited because may be individual customers may also file cases against the german company in the US.

But these very same clowns want the gullible GOI to limit the supplier companies own liability to a mere Rs 1000 crores in case of a nuke accident resulting from supply of faulty nuke parts made by them??

looks like the colonists never left India at all. and they sure as hell don't want us to learn any lessons from the slippery and slimy machinations of union carbide regarding liability issues after bhopal