India Nuclear News and Discussion 4 July 2011

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 20 Feb 2015 04:43

Watch Out.. India Is Building 6 Nuclear Attack Submarines

February 18, 2015

The Indian government will be launching a major naval expansion soon that will include the indigenous construction of seven stealth frigates and six nuclear powered attack submarines. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet approved plans to build the 13 new ships at about a cost of one trillion rupees or about $16 billion on Tuesday.

The expansion would triple the size of India’s nuclear submarine fleet and comes on the heels of Narendra Modi’s pitch to increase the proportion of indigenous defense production in India. In a recent speech, Modi said that he would like the percentage of domestic procurement in India to increase to 70 percent. According to The Times of India, this decision comes at a time when India has a “critical necessity” to boost its “overall deterrence capability” in the Indian Ocean, especially the region stretching from the Persian Gulf to the Strait of Malacca.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 20 Feb 2015 04:59

US civil nuclear deal is in India's 'best interests': Anil Kakodkar

INDORE: Noted scientist and former Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) Anil Kakodkar today hailed the civil nuclear deal with the US as being in the "best interests" of the country, since it would enable India to meet its growing energy demand.

"To meet India's growing energy demands, nuclear power is a better option, but in our country its fuel, uranium is not available in abundance. Efforts are being made to search it in the country and it is being imported from other nations," he said.

"The country needed international treaties and support to lift the ban on its import. The civil nuclear deal is in the interest of the country since it will help enhance the country's nuclear energy capabilities and meet the nation's growing
<snip>

BTW, AK was also head of India's Solar Energy Corporation of India, appointed by PM and is advocate of both solar and nuclear power in a nice mix.

SaiK · Post by **SaiK** » 20 Feb 2015 06:13

there are two primary aspects to this, from what i (need to) understand
1. risk mgmt and ownership - that design and technology risk must be borne by the seller of the design/installation.,and operational risk, SOPS by the books should be the responsibility and liability of the operator/buyer here. this is not clear from the documents/links/news.
2. we need breeders that helps us feed the firang spent fuel into AHWR (thorium based, that does require Th-Pu O2 mix). How much of the firang design will produce the right mix for India's future AHWR is my question., [given that we are open to iaea inspection raaj].

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 26 Feb 2015 02:14

I still remember the debate in about "nuke deal" in brf. Many if not the majority of posters in brf (if one reads the posts now -- except for a few members like me) never failed to tell us how MMS types were selling off Indian interests and Scientists were nothing but traitors who did not care about evils of nuclear radiation... I was pleasantly surprised when a poll was taken and the poll found about 50% of the brfites who answered the poll even at that time supported the nuke deal ...

It is nice to see where we are now. IMVHO without those nuke deals nothing like this would have happened.

Since then, (2008) India has signed nuclear cooperation agreements with several others...like the US, France, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Australia and Mongolia. This not only gave India access to technology but also much needed fuel required for the reactors to generate power... and no one has taken away all the "maal".

Nuclear Power Generartion in India Doubles, Capacity Utilisation Up 33 Pc (to 83%)

NEW DELHI: Nuclear power generation In India has more than doubled in the last six years while the capacity utilisation of nuclear reactors in country has increased from about 50 percent to 83 percent, the government said adding that it was the result of the fruition of international cooperation in the field of nuclear energy.

"Following the fruition of international cooperation in the field of nuclear energy in 2008, nuclear power generation has grown from 14,927 million units (MU) of electricity in 2008-09 to 35,333 MU in 2013-14 and the numbers is slated to improve further in next few months,” Minister of State for the Department of Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh said in a written response to a question in Lok Sabha.

The target of nuclear power generation for the five years (2012-13 to 2016-17) in the year 2011 was 241748 MU. The generation of electricity from April 2012 to January 2015 has been 98686 MU.

Replying to another question on the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP), he said that the Unit 3 and 4 of the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) of 1000 MW capacity each are being prepared for launch in 2015-16.

The KKNPP 1 with 1,000 MW capacity has already been commissioned recently while Unit-2 (KKNPP-2) with 1,000 MW capacity is under commissioning.

Prime Minster Narendra Modi led NDA Government in July 2014 had set a target of tripling the then existing nuclear power capacity of 4780 MW in the next ten years by 2024. Keeping up with that ambitious plan, various sites have been given “In-principle” approval for additional reactors to be set up in future.

“Currently these sites are under pre-project activities which include land acquisition, obtaining environmental clearances, evaluation of techno commercial offers in respect of Light Water Reactors (LWRs) to be set up with foreign technical cooperation,” he said.

Some of these projects include Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP 1&2), Kaiga (5&6) and Mahi Banswara (1&2) among others.

“The safety being an ongoing process, constant review of safety aspects effecting necessary upgrades thereof in line with the evolving safety standards at par with the best international standards is a regular practice in Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL),” Singh added.

Suraj · Post by **Suraj** » 26 Feb 2015 02:41

KKNPP-1 seems to be online now. CEA installed capacity increased from 4780MW to 5780MW between November and January
Central Electricity Authority: Installed Capacity Jan 2015
Total: 258,700MW
Nuclear: 5,780MW
Central Electricity Authority: Installed Capacity Nov 2014
Total: 255,000MW
Nuclear: 4,780MW

arun · Post by **arun** » 01 Mar 2015 08:06

X Posted from the STFUP thread.

George Perkovich.
Testimony. February 25, 2015.
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Senate Armed Services Committee

Read more at:

Regional Nuclear Dynamics

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ashley J. Tellis.
Testimony. February 25, 2015.
Subcommittee on Strategic Forces of the Senate Armed Services Committee:

Read more at:

China, India, And Pakistan—Growing Nuclear Capabilities With No End in Sight

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 16 Mar 2015 11:09

Construction of new units at Kudankulam nuclear plant to begin in spring 2016 — director

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 21 Mar 2015 06:25

To commercialise nuclear deal, India, US exchanging key text

Clearing the decks for commercial operationalisation of the Indo-US nuclear deal after the final seal of approval was stamped at a meeting of the contact group Thursday, the two countries are exchanging signed copies of the administrative arrangements.

The exchange of the administrative arrangements is taking place in Mumbai. The Department of Atomic Energy is the lead agency on the Indian side and the Department of Energy is the American signatory.

“The last policy hurdle has been resolved. Now, the commercial negotiations can start,” a top government source told The Indian Express Friday. This is likely to be the template for India’s nuclear agreements with Japan and Australia.

The government also organised a day-long workshop on the Indian Nuclear Insurance Pool (INIP) Friday at the MEA headquarters to tell international partners on setting up of the fund as part of the overall risk-management scheme for liability.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 01 Apr 2015 03:42

India to set up its own mini N-fusion reactor.

Nuclear energy production in India is set to get a major boost with the department of atomic energy (DAE) giving nod to set up the country’s own thermo-nuclear fusion reactor.

India is presently one of the seven partner countries in world's biggest energy research project - the ITER - that is coming up in Cadarche, France.

"Presently, our contribution as one of the seven partners in the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project in France is 10%. The knowledge that we gain will be used to set up our own demonstrator reactors at home. We will begin by setting up an experimental version of the Cadarche ITER reactor in France here," ITER-India's project director Shishir Deshpande said here on Monday night.

Deshpande along with ITER's top brass - Dr Sergio Orlandi (director - central engineering and plant) and deputy director general Dr Remmelt Haange — is touring India to review progress made by Indian companies involved in the fusion reactor project.

Sources said that the central government has sanctioned Rs 2,500 crore to seed research in nuclear fusion.

All nuclear plants in India at present are fission-based. Generating electricity through fusion is comparatively economical and safer. ITER-India, a division of the Gandhinagar-based Institute of Plasma Research, is the nodal agency under DAE, responsible for delivery of ITER contributions from India.

To be executed over 10 years, European Union, China, Japan, Korea, Russia and the US apart from India are the seven nation partners in France project which is expected to be commissioned by 2024.

Four Indian companies including two based in Gujarat have been awarded contracts to prepare large components which will be fabricated and sourced from India for ITER.

Hazira-based L&T Heavy Engineering is manufacturing the cryostat (a 30 metre height x 30 metre diameter large vacuum vessel made of stainless steel) which will house the entire ITER reactor in France. "Manufacturing of the cryostat is progressing well and the first consignment is getting ready for shipment later this year," said Orlandi.

INOXCVA, a subsidiary of Vadodara-based Inox India Limited, has already set up a manufacturing facility at Halol to manufacture cryolines which will carry cryogens (liquid helium and nitrogen) from cryoplant to the ITER magnets and other components for the fusion project.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 02 Apr 2015 23:33

India's nuclear programme generates concern - IHS Jane's 360

http://www.janes.com/article/50423/indi ... es-concern

Key Points

Five years overdue, India's Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor is nearly complete and projected to be connected to the national grid in September 2015.
Despite its military potential, India's fast breeder reactor programme forms a key part of its long-term, three-stage programme to meet civilian power demand through advanced nuclear technologies.
Nevertheless, its perceived 'plutonium gap' with India has led Pakistan to increase its own plutonium stocks, exacerbating regional nuclear rivalry in an already fraught bilateral relationship.

India's Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR), located at the Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) site in Kalpakkam, in the southeastern state of Tamil Nadu, is the world's third-largest fast breeder reactor (FBR).

Avarachan · Post by **Avarachan** » 06 Apr 2015 07:02

This is a very good slide from BARC explaining India's 3-stage nuclear-power program.
http://www.barc.gov.in/reactor/tfc_3sinpp.html

This is a very good overview of Shri Bhabha's visionary plan, from the DAE.
http://dae.nic.in/?q=node/220

These resources are a good introduction to the topic. They are suitable for beginners.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 08 Apr 2015 22:49

India registers record production of nuclear fuel.

In a major milestone for the nuclear industry, India has registered a record production of over 1,252 MT of uranium bundles, manufacturing close to double the annual fuel requirement of atomic reactors in the country. The production has also exceeded country's annual fuel requirement of 650 MT for the Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs), which means the country has surplus nuclear fuel, for at least a few months.

The Hyderabad-based Nuclear Fuel Complex, which produces fuel for nuclear reactors in the country, has produced over 30 per cent more fuel compared to its 961.023 MT production in 2013-14. "We have gone beyond our requirement this year," Chief Engineer of NFC, N Saibaba, told PTI here.

The news is a breather for the power reactors in the country, which for all these years had been "under- performing", primarily because of lack of fuel.

NFC, set-up with an initial production capacity of 100 MT per year, was augmented several times to enhance the capacity to 850 MT, to cater to the fuel requirement of all the 18 operating PHWRs and the 2 Boiling Water Reactors at Tarapur. "The credit for this achievement goes to the employees. The average working hours of NFC employees have increased from 6.25 hours to 8.15 hours. Secondly, we have made changes in almost all the manufacturing processes, which saved on time," Saibaba added.

The nuclear fuel production in the country has seen a steady increase over the last seven years. A lot has been attributed to the Indo-US nuclear agreement and the subsequent Nuclear Suppliers Group that made the process of acquiring uranium simpler. In 2008-09, NFC produced 226.89--the year Indo-US nuclear deal was signed. In 2009-10, the figure increased to 600.91 MT. In 2013-14, it crossed its rated capacity of 850 MT for the first time and produced 961.23 MT of uranium fuel.

India produces around 5,780 MW of nuclear power. Of this, 4,780 MW of electricity is generated by fuel processed at the NFC. Fuel for the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) unit 1 is provided by Russia, as per the bilateral agreement.

Incidentally, the increase in the production of fuel comes at a time when Indian mines at Jaduguda in Jharkhand have been shut for over eight months now.

Closure of operations at two uranium mines in Jharkhand has so far led to a "loss of over 19 tonnes" of nuclear fuel, having a potential to produce about 860 million units of electricity. The uranium ore extraction from Jaduguda and Bhatin mines, operated by the Uranium Corporation of India (UCIL), a PSU under the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), has been suspended since September last year.

"Although, there was a decline of production of uranium from the Jaduguda and Bhatin mines, the UCIL did not let to affect the supply of uranium and provided ore from their excess stock," Saibaba, also a director on the UCIL Board, said. Listing the achievements of the NFC, Saibaba added that the production facility has managed to produce 2,270 kgs of niobium metal -- widely used in the space industry -- as compared to 1,835 khs in 2013-14.

The NFC also manufactures seamless tubes in different grades of materials for strategic applications, meeting critical requirements of the Departments of Atomic Energy, Space and Defence.

These include truss rod assemblies, hydraulic tubing for Light Combat Aircraft (LCA), special grade copper blanks for Prithvi and Nag Missiles, missile casing and gun barrels, star-shaped and Louvre's profile seamless tubes for battle tanks, special-grade seamless tubes for nuclear submarine, seamless tubes for advanced ultra-supercritical boilers and BrahMos.

"After the Pokhran tests and the subsequent technology denial regime, NFC had to build indigenous capability for design and manufacture of special purpose equipment for pilgering, honing, sintering, welding, machining, final assembly etc.

"While some of these equipment were conceptualised, designed and fabricated in-house, Indian industry played a vital role in developing a lot of critical equipment.

"Over the years, NFC has perfected the technology of manufacturing seamless tubes such as fuel tubes, pressure tubes, calandria tubes etc, improving the quality, material recovery and productivity," Saibaba added.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 11 Apr 2015 05:57

French nuke shot in PM arm

New Delhi, April 10: France on Friday became the first major nuclear power to agree to manufacture nuclear reactor parts in India, and committed to reducing the cost of six reactors it is selling to New Delhi, the assurance coming during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit today.

"The agreements to reduce the cost of nuclear power are very important for us to progress in our co-operation. This is representative of our deep trust in each other," Modi said in Hindi after the meeting late evening in Paris.

Areva, the French nuclear operator signed an agreement with Indian firm Larsen & Toubro to jointly manufacture nuclear components - a move that fits in with Modi's "Make in India" initiative aimed at encouraging domestic manufacturing.

But crucially, Indian production of key nuclear parts will likely also reduce manufacturing costs and the eventual burden on the taxpayers when India purchases reactors made from these components.

Finally, the Indian manufacture of nuclear components will yield something India has long craved - technology transfer from a key nuclear power. "We have no reason for any distrust in our relationship," Hollande said.

Areva and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL), India's sole nuclear operator, also signed a separate agreement to finalise the cost of the six reactors. France has so far been demanding a price equivalent to Rs 9 per unit of electricity, a rate India has argued is not viable. Instead, India has pitched a maximum cost of Rs 6 per unit.

The breakthrough in the logjam over pricing represents a second advance in three months in India's nuclear ties with key world powers, after the understanding New Delhi reached with Washington on resolving US concerns over nuclear liability during President Barack Obama's visit to India in January.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 11 Apr 2015 06:13

France on Friday became the first major nuclear power to agree to manufacture nuclear reactor parts in India, and committed to reducing the cost of six reactors it is selling to New Delhi, the assurance coming during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit today.

Good news this is. I was wondering why the PM was making so many foreign trips when there is so much to be done at home, but "make in India" needs foreign involvement since local competence has hit a plateau for whatever reason.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 11 Apr 2015 06:53

Garbage. What makes these reactors so much better than our PHWR? We should have instead poured money into scaling up its development to 900-1200 MW class. This would have created far more jobs and we are already world leaders in this technology. Even if we manage to bring down the cost it wont be able to compete with the PHWR in terms of start up costs and safety. You cannot beat the calandria automated tube design.

Luckily we are giving the French 6 and Americans 6-12. Overall, 36 (including russian; 12-18?) foreign reactors max and we'll be safe with nearly half when we test again.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 11 Apr 2015 06:56

Garbage. What makes these reactors so much better than our PHWR? We should have instead poured money into scaling up its development to 900-1200 MW class.

The prize is not the reactors but improving local capability in manufacturing -- such skills are not given away by anyone, and there is much value to them. Money doesn't buy you everything. How did China's industries get so competent at being able to manufacture high tech stuff in a variety of spheres?

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 11 Apr 2015 07:02

Please tell me what sort of local capability you are talking about and wrt to what technology and its use. Sounds like BS to me.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 11 Apr 2015 07:16

Please tell me what sort of local capability you are talking about and wrt to what technology and its use. Sounds like BS to me.

The goal according to the PM is to have local capability within the decade. AFAIK, there is a dearth of local companies in manufacturing the kind of alloy-based components for nuclear plants, and India wants to be part of the NSG and sell nuclear plants. The PM's "Make In India" pitch is to kick start manufacturing which is far behind countries like china. Given enough time, India could develop all of it, but this is more about catching up with competitors and across many segments in a shorter time frame, from what I understand. Of course, this is all effing BS, so don't worry about it. Jai Hind, etc.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 11 Apr 2015 07:24

So the best you can come up with is alloy based components? For, billions of dollars in over hyped reactors? We pretty much manufacture all of the components including alloys for the PHWR which we already have and we've scaled it to 700 MW. With proper funding we can achieve 900-1200 MW in a shorter period of time and control the entire manufacturing process and export. So yes, I'm still calling out your effing BS.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 11 Apr 2015 07:47

We pretty much manufacture all of the components including alloys for the PHWR which we already have and we've scaled it to 700 MW. With proper funding we can achieve 900-1200 MW in a shorter period of time and control the entire manufacturing process and export. So yes, I'm still calling out your effing BS.

If you bothered to read what I wrote instead of imagining things, you will note that my only point is that this govt. (and the previous one) stated that they recognize that improving manufacturing across the board is a necessity in order to compete with China and also become self-sufficient in various sectors. I can google out those articles if you are too lazy to do them yourself. However, it is clear that countries like China did not get to where they were purely on their own -- they did leverage their business relations with other foreign firms to kickstart their local capability, and getting to scale up their manufacturing to keep pace with their ambitions. If you think that is BS, so be it.

Here are a some policy papers on manufacturing goals in some sectors

http://www.idsa.in/policybrief/MakeinIn ... 50215.html

hile this makes India one of the largest defence markets in the world, the opportunity it offers should be fully exploited for the benefit of local industry. This will not only improve India’s self-reliance in defence production but will have a multiplier effect on the wider economy. The government must ensure that the local industry is geared and incentivised enough to rise up to the expectations and make the government’s ‘Make in India’ initiative a success story.

this one is more relevant:
http://www.idsa.in/pressrelease/CivilNu ... n2015.html

The experts also deliberated upon challenges and prospects for rigorous implementation of nuclear program through creation of mechanisms for technology absorption as well as to achieve greater degree of indigenization in nuclear reactor and component manufacturing.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 11 Apr 2015 09:48

Yawn, the only person who is hysterical is you. You ignore the fact that we can make the PHWR almost completely in house and we did so while under the technology denial regime. You want us to throw away billions for "alloy tech" to construct foreign reactors when we already have one ready which is proven in both safety and reliability. We already have a 700MW reactor design. Scaling up the reactor will take less time and money and we can control the entire process.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 11 Apr 2015 16:05

Gentlemen, please keep the conversation civil.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 11 Apr 2015 17:10

PM Narendra Modi's France visit sees Areva's nuclear plant agreement with NPCIL, L&T

The Areva-L&T pact was the highlight of the occasion following talks between Narendra Modi and Hollande at Paris on Friday evening, diplomatic sources told ET from France. Sources said the pact is part of Make in India initiative and this involves production of nuclear heavy forging in the country. This is critical for making of outer casket for nuclear reactors which Areva usually sources from Japan but is unable to do so for Indian market in the absence of Indo-Japan civil nuclear deal deal so far. This was agreed upon following strong push from both Modi and Hollande for 9,900-MW nuclear power plant, five years after the civil nuclear deal was signed by Delhi and Paris, according to diplomatic sources.

NPCIL and L&T in 2009 formed a joint venture company to produce special steels and ultra heavy forgings. The very heavy forging capacity in operation today is in Japan (Japan Steel Works), China (China First Heavy Industries, China Erzhong, SEC), France (Le Creusot), and Russia (OMZ Izhora). New capacity is planned in UK (Sheffield Forgemasters) and India (Bharat Heavy Electricals, Bharat Forge Ltd). And now following the L&T and Areva pact a key component will be domestically produced and this will bring down cost of reactors and therefore per unit tariff of power produced. French government claims that the reactors (European Pressurised Reactors) are expensive because of enhanced safety measures.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 12 Apr 2015 08:03

Some more details are reported in this article. Posting in full:

NPCIL and AREVA to expedite talks to seal commercial agreement for Jaitapur project

Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Areva are expected to speed negotiations to enter into a commercial agreement for the supply of six evolutionary pressurised reactors (EPRs) of 1,650-megawatt (Mw) capacity each for the Jaitapur project in Maharashtra.

The agreement signed between India and France on Friday laying emphasis on localisation has paved the way for resumption of talks as little progress has been made so far since NPCIL and Areva entered into an early works contract in December 2010.

Nuclear sector experts say the thrust on the localisation, especially with the involvement of Larsen & Toubro during the construction of 9,900-Mw Jaitapur plant will help bring down the per-unit tariff to Rs 6- 6.50 a unit, down from Rs 9.18 a unit quoted earlier by Areva.

The project is likely to come up in 2022. The cost of power was a major roadblock for talks to move forward as NPCIL and Areva had differences.

France has also decided to provide India a loan for the project at 4.8 per cent interest rate for 25 years.

NPCIL official told the Business Standard: “The localisation in manufacturing reactor equipment will be achieved for nuclear island, conventional island, auxiliary island and service system of the Jaitapur nuclear plant. Various components can be manufactured here and installed with exacting standards as specified by Areva. The cost of components will be cheap which will help make the Jaitapur tariff quite competitive.”

NPCIL’s former chairman and managing director S K Jain, during whose tenure the early works agreement was signed, said the feasibility study carried out had clearly said the Jaitapur project was feasible, economical and viable thanks to the judicious mix of localisation and financing. “The per unit tariff of Jaitapur project will be at par with the thermal power projects in the country,” he noted. The issues relating to the civil nuclear liability had hampered the talks between NPCIL and Areva. However, experts believe India's plan for an insurance pool could address the concerns raised by Areva. The government of India has also clarified that India's Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 was compatible with the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage. Meanwhile, NPCIL official said EPRs will have safety features to address even beyond design basis scenarios.

The reactors designs will have passive safety systems requiring no operator intervention in the event of a major malfunction.

Tuvaluan · Post by **Tuvaluan** » 12 Apr 2015 18:56

So Indian companies like L&T get long-term finance to kickstart their diversification into building nuclear components without government aid, and acquire manufacturing capability for creating components with maraging steel in the process. This sets the stage for them to build components for locally made reactors in the long term. kudos to this planning by the GoI.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 12 Apr 2015 23:26

How does the EPR reactor compare with VVER reactor that is planned to be built , Technically is there pro-cons to each of this design ?

arshyam · Post by **arshyam** » 12 Apr 2015 23:32

Austin saar, hasn't VVER already been built at Koodankulam?

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 13 Apr 2015 11:58

arshyam wrote:Austin saar, hasn't VVER already been built at Koodankulam?

Yes it is but I was trying to look at how these two reactor technology differ and how effecient these two reactors are

panduranghari · Post by **panduranghari** » 15 Apr 2015 17:06

India uranium deal said to be reached as Narendra Modi heads for Ottawa

India’s deal to buy uranium from Canadian producer Cameco Corp. will be unveiled on Wednesday as Ottawa hosts the first visit of a Prime Minister from the Asian country in a generation, a person with knowledge of the talks said.
The accord is scheduled to be announced in the morning, the person said, asking not to be named because the agreement isn’t public yet.....

....Cameco, based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, has been in talks to sell uranium to India, and Modi has said a deal is one of the priorities of his Canadian trip. Rob Gereghty, a Cameco spokesman, declined to comment on a possible agreement.
Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall is also travelling to Ottawa on Wednesday. “We’re very hopeful, I’ll say that,” he said in an interview on Tuesday, while declining to say if an accord was reached....

Modi said last month on his Facebook page that he looked forward to “sourcing uranium fuel for our nuclear power plants” during his Canadian trip, the first by an Indian Prime Minister in over 40 years.

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 15 Apr 2015 20:19

^^^Indian PM Modi signs uranium deal

..deal to buy more than 3,000 tonnes of Saskatchewan uranium over the next five years to fuel his country's power reactors...

Modi's quote:

NaMo wrote:..Uranium is very important to pursue our mission of clean energy. It is not just a natural resource but an article of faith for me:..
...The agreement on procurement of uranium from Canada for our civilian nuclear power plants launches a new era of bilateral cooperation

(BTW, some Canadian news papers till yesterday were reporting that according to their poll about 60% Canadians were against selling U to India)

Nitesh · Post by **Nitesh** » 16 Apr 2015 15:48

Why only 5 year deal? Isn't one reactor is supposed to be up and running for 40-50 years time, or this fuel is just for making fuel bank for getting rid of sanctions

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 17 Apr 2015 23:57

Nitesh wrote:Why only 5 year deal? Isn't one reactor is supposed to be up and running for 40-50 years time, or this fuel is just for making fuel bank for getting rid of sanctions

I think they're concerned he will test in his second term. If this happens, the US will begin "consultations" with Canada, France, Australia etc. and they will suspend uranium shipments. After 10-15 tests, India will sign the CTBT and NPT but will do so only after giving the US the finger for 6 months and shipments will resume again.

The US knows that this will happen. Rather than drive us closer to SCO, they would rather sting us and then try to pull us back to the negotiating table. It is simply not in their interest to keep us in technology and resource denial regimes anymore.

ldev · Post by **ldev** » 18 Apr 2015 07:55

^^^
More likely that long term yellowcake contracts do not normally exceed 5 years (although a few contracts do extend out to 10 years). If you look at Cameco's (the Canadian uranium producer who will supply India with uranium) financial statements, they have sensitized their future income based on a 5 year projection. Hence it is possible that they are not keen on taking on price risk beyond that period.

If you listen to Modi's speech in Toronto, he said that the 2 most important things on his trip were, (1) the contract for the Areva reactors signed in France, and (2) the contract for the supply of uranium fuel to operate those reactors, signed in Canada. He said that the importance of these 2 developments may escape the attention of people watching his trip now, but in the future people will realize that they were a turning point. Based on that public statement, you figure out whether Modi will test and if so when.

ShauryaT · Post by **ShauryaT** » 18 Apr 2015 08:16

ldev wrote:He said that the importance of these 2 developments may escape the attention of people watching his trip now, but in the future people will realize that they were a turning point. Based on that public statement, you figure out whether Modi will test and if so when.

Fair assessment. Can a Lion claim to be a Lion without challenging the status quo? Modi prides himself in getting things done. He sees himself as someone, who can cut through bureaucratic red tape and get things done. He has not claimed to be a strategic thinker and has not shown any appetite for fundamental changes to the status quo. The people who think of architectural concepts and strategic factors (in this case men like Arun Shourie, who opposed the deal) are not part of Modi's team. Modi will make a decision to test, when that decision to do so is presented to him in a manner that lays out the pros and cons of such a test in a clear manner that can be understood to the nation. I do not think the nation understands this and I have no doubt, when the nation understands this, Modi will rise up to the occasion and do what is necessary. We do not get the likes of Valpayee every day.

ldev · Post by **ldev** » 18 Apr 2015 08:50

ShauryaT wrote: Modi will make a decision to test, when that decision to do so is presented to him in a manner that lays out the pros and cons of such a test in a clear manner that can be understood to the nation. I do not think the nation understands this and I have no doubt, when the nation understands this, Modi will rise up to the occasion and do what is necessary.

I hate going out on a limb, but based on Modi's very practical approach to governance, I would hazard a guess that the only circumstance under which Modi will test will be in the event of a large scale conventional border war with China which has the potential to escalate deeper into India. To prevent such an escalation (nuclear or otherwise) Modi will (after getting the rest of the P5 on board) test. A test under such circumstances IMO will not attract economic sanctions, while an unprovoked test e.g. to proof a design, will attract sanctions.

Kakkaji · Post by **Kakkaji** » 19 Apr 2015 08:52

ldev wrote:^^^
If you listen to Modi's speech in Toronto, he said that the 2 most important things on his trip were, (1) the contract for the Areva reactors signed in France, and

Not just the MoU for reactor but, what he said was most important to him was that the (Areva) reactors will now be made in India.

There was some exaggeration in this claim because only some reactor components will be made in India (by L&T), but Modi clearly is looking at scaling up India's knowledge and production base in the nuclear industry.

RoyG · Post by **RoyG** » 20 Apr 2015 04:09

ldev wrote:
ShauryaT wrote: Modi will make a decision to test, when that decision to do so is presented to him in a manner that lays out the pros and cons of such a test in a clear manner that can be understood to the nation. I do not think the nation understands this and I have no doubt, when the nation understands this, Modi will rise up to the occasion and do what is necessary.
I hate going out on a limb, but based on Modi's very practical approach to governance, I would hazard a guess that the only circumstance under which Modi will test will be in the event of a large scale conventional border war with China which has the potential to escalate deeper into India. To prevent such an escalation (nuclear or otherwise) Modi will (after getting the rest of the P5 on board) test. A test under such circumstances IMO will not attract economic sanctions, while an unprovoked test e.g. to proof a design, will attract sanctions.

I'm not sure that the P5 entry will come soon enough.

As far as the Areva reactors are concerned, what sort of knowledge is going to lend help to the PHWR which is safe, reliable, and something we have complete mastery over. We also make a lot of plutonium with them.

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 20 Apr 2015 12:12

Warning! French Areva major N-plant defect Is the same design being touted for India too?

http://rt.com/uk/250913-uk-france-nuclear-power/

UK’s flagship nuclear power station in doubt as faults found in French design
Published time: April 18, 2015 16:44

The construction site of the third European generation Pressurised Water Reactor (EPR) in Flamanville.(AFP Photo / Charly Triballeau)

The future of Britain’s energy needs is now hanging in the balance, after a “very serious” fault was found in the pressure vessel of the prototype EPR plant in Normandy, France.

A second investigation is now required into the quality of the steel of the “pressure vessel” or the 50ft-high safety casing, which encloses the new European Pressurized Reactor (EPR) reactor at Flamanville, near Cherbourg in Normandy, The Independent reports.

As a result, the future of two new identical reactors at Hinkley Point in Somerset is now in doubt.

“It’s a serious fault even a very serious fault, because it involves a crucial part of the nuclear reactor,” said Pierre-Franck Chevet, head of France’s nuclear safety inspectorate.

The same steel has been used for the safety casings for Hinkley Point, which “have already been manufactured.”

Although a final decision on Hinckley point is expected in June, the fault in the brand new French design could scare off Chinese state investors who are paying for some of the £14-billion project ($20.94 billion).

As well as the UK, China, Finland and the US are in the process of investing in the EPR project.

The EPR is meant to be one of the safest reactors in the world, and the most energy efficient, but has suffered a number of delays and cost overruns.

The fault was first revealed by France’s nuclear watchdog ASN last week. Mr Chevet said on Friday that the steel for the safety casings of six EPR reactors had not been made correctly.

‘16 nuclear reactors vulnerable to terrorist drone attacks’ – UK govt adviser

The steel at the top and bottom of the safety casings contains too much carbon and as such there is a chance they could rupture.

The casings were made as long ago as 2007-2008 and though it would be possible to replace them, it would be very expensive and take a long time.

“If the weakness of the steel is proved, I don’t hold out much hope for the survival of the EPR project,” a former senior nuclear safety official told Le Parisien.

The decision to build two new nuclear reactors at Hinkley Point was made by the previous Labour government in 2008, and in principle work is due to commence in 2017.

Hinkley is envisioned to generate 16 percent of the UK’s electricity.

Britain could face widespread energy ‘blackouts’ – leading engineer

The crisis at the Flamenville reactor is also a serious problem for France, which generates 80 percent of its energy from nuclear power and hasn’t built any nuclear power stations for more than 15 years.

“It is more than 15 years since the last nuclear power stations were constructed in France. The expertise in some trades has not been sufficiently passed on from one generation to the next,” said Mr Chevet.

Electricity de France, the majority state owned French energy group, and Ariva who are building the reactors have so far declined to comment. But the Elysee Palace was upbeat in an announcement:

"The results of more precise tests are expected in October. In the meantime, the work on Flamanville continues."

Uttam · Post by **Uttam** » 22 Apr 2015 22:07

Four indigenous nuclear reactors will be ready by 2019

NEW DELHI: Four indigenous nuclear power reactors under construction in two plants in Gujarat and Rajasthan will be completed by 2019, the government said today.

"Four indigenous nuclear power reactors - KAPP 3&4 (2X700 MW) at Kakrapar, Gujarat and RAPP 7&8 (2X700 MW) at Rawatbhata, Rajasthan - are under construction and expected to be completed by 2019," Minister for State for the Department of Atomic Energy Jitendra Singh said in a written response to the Lok Sabha.

"In addition, a prototype fast breeder reactor of 500 MW capacity is at an advanced stage of commissioning at Kalpakkam, Tamil Nadu," he said.

..........................

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 23 Apr 2015 04:25

We should try and scale up our indigenous capability to 1000 MW units. The last increment we did was from 540 MW to 700 MW and by the time it is commissioned it will be 12 + years of time that went in scaling up by 160 MW. I hope a DAE babu does not decide on doing a 850 MW next.