India nuclear news and discussion

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 04 Apr 2009 03:07

India should have nuclear attack submarines: France

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 04 Apr 2009 03:09

India to ink deal with Russia to set up 4 new nuclear reactors

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 04 Apr 2009 17:21

India probes uranium link to disabled children

India's Department of Atomic Energy is sending an investigative team to the northern state of Punjab after traces of uranium where found in the hair samples of children and adults with disabilities.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 04 Apr 2009 17:22

Nuclear power plants to get new lease of life: Kakodkar

The Department of Atomic Energy expects an increase in production of uranium by 25 per cent from Jaduguda and Turamdih mills by the end of this year

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 05 Apr 2009 02:57

BHEL in pact with the UK's Sheffield Forgemasters to make nuclear forgings

Tilak · Post by **Tilak** » 05 Apr 2009 10:14

X-Posted :

Death knell .. to back-door diplomacy .. informal papers, foreign chai biskoot sessions..

Parliament’s nod will be mandatory for international agreements: BJP

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 06 Apr 2009 02:29

India in dilemma over North Korean satellite launch news

India’s dilemma is heightened by the fact that it has itself been the victim of Security Council over-reach in the past. UNSC resolution 1172, passed in the wake of India’s Pokhran II nuclear tests in 1998, called, inter alia, on both Delhi and Islamabad to “cease development of ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons.”

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 06 Apr 2009 08:56

“India will not sign NPT in present format”

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 06 Apr 2009 18:02

Gerard wrote:“India will not sign NPT in present format”

Instead of talking India should come up with a NPT of her own - so that there is something tangible on the table. Such talks do not make any diff in the longer run and could actually feed into Obama's position.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 06 Apr 2009 18:02

Nuclear power production to step up with availability of uranium

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 06 Apr 2009 18:04

Nuclear power for India is good for us all

Philip · Post by **Philip** » 06 Apr 2009 18:41

We are in the sights of the latter day Uncle Tom,who wants the world to drop its (nuclear) pants,or face the US's wrath.States like NoKo,who claim that they want to develop sat. launch capabilities are condemned while the US pursues its own Star Wars ABM systems,even right upto Russia's borders.India will soon be in the firing line,as the new O-Team has underlined its support for Pak,as an "equal" against India.Terrorist Pak,with all its inhuman atrocities perpetrated by the taliban,is equal in US eyes to democratic India,victim of repeated terror raping by Pak.tThe excuse is Iran,NoKo,etc.,etc.Wait for his displeasure with India coming soon to this screen!

Barack Obama goes ahead with missile defence shield despite disarmament pledge

The United States would continue to develop a missile defence shield until Iran abandoned its nuclear ambitions, President Barack Obama said in the Czech Republic.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldne ... ledge.html

Keshav · Post by **Keshav** » 06 Apr 2009 19:36

Philip -

Just because the US condemns North Korea, we should not stem our criticism of the latter. The US has millions of nuclear weapons that it does not use and at the least, we can say that Barack Obama is not the type of person to be trigger happy with the big red button.

North Korea has a egomaniacal, genocidal, Communist nutjob for a dictator who probably would test nuclear weapons on Japanese soil if he had the chance.

You can condemn both, but not criticizing North Korea because of US duplicity is not the answer.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 06 Apr 2009 20:05

x-posting:

Gerard wrote:Kazakhstan Offers To Host 'Nuclear Bank'
Kazakhstan, a former Soviet republic and nuclear weapons state, approached the White House in recent weeks to volunteer to host an international "nuclear fuel bank" where nations that renounce nuclear weapons can purchase fissile fuel for nuclear energy reactors, a senior White House official said Sunday.

This could have huge implications for India (under 123, etc). This is GNEP, and, under the proposal enrichment and reprocessing will totally be under a single entity (perhaps the IAEA). ALL atoms will be counted and therefore regulated. Bush gave India pretty everything except E&R - for this reason, Bush did not want India to perform E&R.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 06 Apr 2009 20:07

Barack Obama goes ahead with missile defence shield despite disarmament pledge

I am not sure that statement is true. Obama has stated that MD will remain as long as there is a potential threat. He expects such a threat to remain during his lifetime.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 06 Apr 2009 20:35

NRao wrote:Instead of talking India should come up with a NPT of her own - so that there is something tangible on the table. Such talks do not make any diff in the longer run and could actually feed into Obama's position.

That has already been done.
It is called the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention. It has all the status of toilet paper.

Obama has made no disarmament pledge. He promises only to work towards a 'goal' - not even in his own lifetime. Instead he proposes arms control measure like the CTBT and FMCT. This is nothing but a desperate attempt to keep the NPT alive for a couple decades further.

Sanatanan · Post by **Sanatanan** » 06 Apr 2009 21:29

From Deccan Herald, 06 April, 2009:

IN PERSPECTIVE

India's heavy water project comes of age

By K S Parthasarathy

Techonology for heavy water is being developed. This may lower energy consumption by 60 pc.

It is six decades since Dr Homi Jehangir Bhabha, the architect of nuclear India, initiated moves to make heavy water as a strategic material; he dreamt that India should produce large quantities of it indigenously. He converted his dream into a resolution and got it approved by the Board of Research on Atomic Energy at its second meeting held in Bombay on April 9 and 10, 1948.

“The government should explore the possibilities of using cheap hydroelectric power in India for manufacturing heavy water, on the one hand for our own requirements, and on the other for sale to other countries,” Bhabha pleaded in a covering note to Nehru. The Board’s resolution did not refer to any sale to other countries. So it probably was an afterthought by Bhabha.

In 1954, Dr Bhabha convinced Nehru to set up a fertiliser cum heavy water plant (HWP) at Nangal. The Nangal plant, the largest plant of this type in the world, produced the first drop of heavy water on August 9, 1962. In the next few decades, such drops accumulated into drums at Nangal, Kota, Tuticorin, Thalcher, Baroda, Thal, Hazira and Manuguru.

The rest as they say is history. From dreams to drums, the saga of heavy water production in India is a notable success story.

Heavy water is the coolant and moderator in Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR). India is self sufficient in heavy water production, and the Heavy Water Board (HWB) has exported 205 tonnes of heavy water so far.

Heavy water is similar to ordinary water (H2O). But there is a key difference in it. In heavy water, two regular hydrogen atoms are replaced with deuterium, a heavy isotope of hydrogen. Ordinary water contains about 150 parts per million of heavy water. We have to process over 100, ten litre buckets of water to get a cup of heavy water.

India is the largest manufacturer of heavy water in the world, perhaps the only country which has mastered the two processes (hydrogen sulphide-water bi-thermal and ammonia -hydrogen mono-thermal) to produce it. HWB is developing a technology at Baroda using water — ammonia exchange process to operate a heavy water plant independently of fertiliser plants. The cost of energy constitutes 70-80 per cent of the operating cost of HWPs. HWB could reduce over the last decade, specific energy (energy needed to produce a kg of heavy water) consumption by about 36 per cent by systematic energy conservation measures.

It is developing a novel, safe and clean technology to produce heavy water based on hydrogen-water exchange process; specific energy consumption may then be reduced by a further 60 per cent.

Low cost

Chairman and managing director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) SK Jain, the main customer of HWB, has acknowledged that the cost of heavy water had come down by 20 per cent in the last few years. “NPCIL could have a surplus of Rs 11,000 crore just on that account,” he said. Plus during 2007-08, all heavy water plants excelled in their performance.

“The capacity utilisation during 2008-09 is expected to touch 125 per cent. HWP Manuguru achieved a capacity utilisation of 137 per cent and the lowest ever specific energy consumption during the year” A L N Rao chairman and chief executive, HWB, informed scientists attending the Heavy Water Day-2009.

HWB has diversified its activities successfully. The board produced many solvents vital to the nuclear industry, and extracted 18O, a valuable isotope for biomedical research, developed technologies to produce sodium metal, to recover uranium from phosphatic fertilisers and to prepare enriched boron.

HWB has faced many challenges (plant operation with fertiliser factories, power scarcity, export controls, poor national industrial infrastructure etc.) in mastering a technology known only to a few advanced countries.

Rao said, “In the functioning of the HWB or of various sub-committees of the board, or of the senior officers at different levels, I have seen team building qualities, challenges being taken up by youngsters and not getting stuck with problems but finding a way out. That’s what has made us move forward.”

Aptly said, the mood is upbeat in HWB.

(The writer is with the Department of Atomic Energy)

Alas! We are bent upon importing LWRs!

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 06 Apr 2009 21:57

Gerard wrote:
NRao wrote:Instead of talking India should come up with a NPT of her own - so that there is something tangible on the table. Such talks do not make any diff in the longer run and could actually feed into Obama's position.
That has already been done.
It is called the Model Nuclear Weapons Convention. It has all the status of toilet paper.

Obama has made no disarmament pledge. He promises only to work towards a 'goal' - not even in his own lifetime. Instead he proposes arms control measure like the CTBT and FMCT. This is nothing but a desperate attempt to keep the NPT alive for a couple decades further.

G-ji,

I am talking of re-writing the actual text of NPT to reflect Indian PoV. For instance India should put a end date in the document. And, bet the opposition will come from China. And, they will cheat too.

Yeah, that mNWC is a non-starter.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 07 Apr 2009 08:56

Fissures ahead
By Arundhati Ghose

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 08 Apr 2009 03:29

India's BHEL signs ten year technology transfer deal with Sheffield Forgemasters

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 08 Apr 2009 05:47

Relief in Delhi as US signals shift on nuke red rag

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 10 Apr 2009 03:21

A nuclear test

India's current policy of not opposing the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, but not participating in its negotiation seems to be a case of eating its cake and having it too!

Sanatanan · Post by **Sanatanan** » 10 Apr 2009 08:19

From Deccan Herald, 10 April, 2009

Toxic scrap in Punjab rivers and Afghan winds could be the reason
Uranium traces in special children baffle experts
Rajesh Deol, Chandigarh, DH News Service:

Medical experts are now close to the view that the mental disability in the 150 children housed at a Faridkot centre for special children could have been caused by high levels of uranium revealed in the samples of their hair and blood.

After shocking revelations of high levels of uranium found through tests conducted on 150 mentally disabled children in Punjab, the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) has begun investigations to find the source of the radioactivity.

Medical experts are now close to the view that the mental disability in the 150 children housed at a Faridkot centre for special children could have been caused by high levels of uranium revealed in the samples of their hair and blood.

The children have been impaired in their ability to socialise and communicate. They also showed physical deformities like bent arms and legs, bulging eyes and overgrown heads.

Affects kidney, liver

Uranium is known to cause even damage to kidneys and liver.

After the revelations of the presence of the radioactive material in special children, a three-member team from the DAE, Mumbai, has been touring Faridkot to collect samples of soil and canal water. A team member said, “this is the first time uranium traces have been reported in Punjab.”

Among the possible reasons being explored by the team include water contamination caused by toxic scrap dumped in the Sutlej and Beas rivers flowing through Punjab and air contamination caused by uranium-laden winds from Afghanistan.

The team has also collected samples of drinking water from neighbouring areas and talked to parents of affected children about their living and dietary habits.

The evidence of toxins in children was first revealed through tests conducted after a South African toxicologist Dr Carin Smit noticed the deformities in children in an area of Faridkot district. Dr Smit is associated with a UK-based charity, ‘Defeat Autism Now’. The samples of hair of 150 special children were sent to a German laboratory which confirmed the presence of toxins.

Dr Smit, who was here recently, has now taken urine samples of 43 children for further tests in the UK for more evidence.

Prithpal Singh, who heads the Baba Farid Centre for Special Children at Faridkot says, “the children at my institution are unable to carry out normal daily activities. They do not feel the pain even if they get hurt or are bitten by a bug."

It is intriguing to note that in the whole of Punjab and nearby areas, only the inmates (that too only the children, not the adults or any other living organisms present there) of the Baba Farid Centre for Special Children at Faridkot are affected by the Afgan Winds / polluted Sutlej and Beas rivers. I wonder whether the Afgan Winds are loaded with aerosols from the depleted U cluster bombs used in the ongoing "war on terror".

tripathi · Post by **tripathi** » 10 Apr 2009 09:35

^^Or is it something related to the conspiracy undermining/capping indian nuke program by usa/congress(i)(mms/sonia).coz only congress propped up and supports baba.

harbans · Post by **harbans** » 10 Apr 2009 11:55

Why do State Dept women like Robin Raphel, Teresita Schaffer, Tauscher and ilk have so much against India?

But diplomatic sources said that Tauscher is of greater concern to India because "at least with Einhorn, we had dealt with him for years and knew where he was coming from," but with the US lawmaker her angry rhetoric and steadfast refusal to be moved by India and those in support of the US-India deal right to the bitter end, "shows a streak" they predicted could "be troubling," and could "possibly complicate," even the expeditious implementation of the agreement that could lead to the transfer of nuclear reactors and fuel to India to pursue its energy requirements.

Tauscher during the final debate and vote on the 123 Amendment last year, voted against it even though Congressman Howard Berman, also a California Democrat, and chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee with whom she had co-sponsored a 'killer amendment,' preceding the vote on the Hyde Amendment to make a cut off of fissile material a pre-condition for the consummation of the accord, had ultimately voted for the deal.

In fact, even after the Nuclear Suppliers Group endorsed the 123 Agreement and decided to grant India the exemption that envisaged New Delhi to engage in civilian nuclear trade after more than 30 years of isolation, Tauscher remained unrepentant, and described the NSG's green light as "a dark day for global efforts to halt the spread of weapons of mass destruction," and warned that what she described "as this shortsighted step,"

As recently as last week, President Obama while touring Europe, said in Prague that "my administration will immediately and aggressively pursue US ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty," echoing his earlier remarks on the subject,

http://news.rediff.com/report/2009/apr/ ... n-ctbt.htm

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 10 Apr 2009 18:11

Russia delivers first batch of nuclear fuel to India

"Thirty metric tonnes of pellets were delivered to the nuclear fuel complex in Hyderabad (in India) for further conversion into fuel for the Rajasthan nuclear power plant," the company said.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 10 Apr 2009 21:14

X-posted...

Gerard wrote:Dispatches From the Edge: The Afghan Rubik’s Cube
But manipulated just right, the puzzle is solvable.

For instance, while the Taliban have united to fight, Mullah Omar—through Saudi Arabian King Abdullah—also made a peace offering that no longer requires the western forces to withdraw before opening talks. The plan proposes setting a timetable for withdrawal, forming a “consensus government,” and consolidating the Taliban forces into a national army.
To make all the cubes fit together, the Obama administration will have to recognize that the United States is only one player at the table, and that the interests of other parties, both inside and outside Afghanistan, must be given equal weight. It will also need to revisit the Bush administration’s ill-advised nuclear agreement with New Delhi, which not only increases tensions in the region, but also threatens to unravel a critically important international nuclear treaty.

So all are linked in Af-Pak!

Amber G. · Post by **Amber G.** » 11 Apr 2009 04:45

Toxic scrap in Punjab rivers and Afghan winds could be the reason
Uranium traces in special children baffle experts

It is intriguing to note that in the whole of Punjab and nearby areas, only the inmates (that too only the children, not the adults or any other living organisms present there) of the Baba Farid Centre for Special Children at Faridkot are affected by the Afgan Winds / polluted Sutlej and Beas rivers. I wonder whether the Afgan Winds are loaded with aerosols from the depleted U cluster bombs used in the ongoing "war on terror".

Also intriguing is that reporter quotes Prithpal Singh, (“the children at my institution are unable to carry out normal daily activities. They do not feel the pain even if they get hurt or are bitten by a bug.") but never follows up with what relation it, if any it has with uranium poisoning. ... It talks about "toxins" not makes it clear that toxins are Uranium. Yeah one should be impressed that the sample is being sent to vilayat (how hard it is to detect Uranium presence in hair or urine)...Uranium laded winds and what not ... but why just talk about "could be this or that" (can't one analyze the sample)...

Notice also the innocent looking choo-mantaki of words where presence of "radioactive material" is reveled in children.. ( Heavy metal toxin - including Uranium found there, in all likelihood is not 'radioactive' .. at least no one has said that in that report.

Meanwhile... another explosive investigative piece of journalism asks the question.... Did all that toxic radiation is the real cause of 26/11 !!!
.Is Ajmal Kasab's mother in Mumbai?

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 11 Apr 2009 07:08

NTPC no to NPCIL nuclear umbrella

Guddu · Post by **Guddu** » 11 Apr 2009 23:54

Sanatanan wrote:From Deccan Herald, 10 April, 2009
Toxic scrap in Punjab rivers and Afghan winds could be the reason
Uranium traces in special children baffle experts
Rajesh Deol, Chandigarh, DH News Service:

Among the possible reasons being explored by the team include water contamination caused by toxic scrap dumped in the Sutlej and Beas rivers flowing through Punjab and air contamination caused by uranium-laden winds from Afghanistan.

The team has also collected samples of drinking water from neighbouring areas and talked to parents of affected children about their living and dietary habits.

It is intriguing to note that in the whole of Punjab and nearby areas, only the inmates (that too only the children, not the adults or any other living organisms present there) of the Baba Farid Centre for Special Children at Faridkot are affected by the Afgan Winds / polluted Sutlej and Beas rivers. I wonder whether the Afgan Winds are loaded with aerosols from the depleted U cluster bombs used in the ongoing "war on terror".

This "Afghan wind" story appears to be just madarassa wind passing. I very much doubt that is possible. Also why should the river pollution affect only the children and not adults. Something does not add up.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 12 Apr 2009 06:56

N-deal: India is becoming sanctions-proof

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 12 Apr 2009 23:52

India working on ratification procedures of ISSA: Kakodkar

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 14 Apr 2009 06:57

Sweden wants in on India's nuclear

vsudhir · Post by **vsudhir** » 14 Apr 2009 07:45

Gerard wrote:Sweden wants in on India's nuclear

Correct me if wrong, but wasn't Sweden among the pipsqueaks that howled above their weight in the closing days of the NSG deadline?

Raj Malhotra · Post by **Raj Malhotra** » 14 Apr 2009 10:49

Gerard wrote:India should have nuclear attack submarines: France

I think France may be offering to help in Indian ATV-SSN-SSBN etc and we can always be soft on them for Nuke reactor, MMRCA etc contracts

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 14 Apr 2009 19:42

http://www.hindu.com/2009/04/13/stories ... 211100.htm

Some top officials in the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) said efforts were on to place the RAPS 5 and 6 under IAEA inspection and also to begin operation of these newly constructed plants within 2009 with the imported fuel.

“Efforts are on to make sure that RAPS 3 and 4 are placed under the IAEA in 2010 as per schedule and the required procedures are being carried out,”

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 14 Apr 2009 19:45

NTPC goes nuclear, packs off officers to BARC for training

DIVERSIFYING into nuclear power generation is like discovering the zero again for the country’s biggest power company NTPC Ltd. From pure thermal to hydro and now nuclear, its executives are getting trained for the big league. It has identified 25 of its executives for training in nuclear power generation at Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) in Mumbai.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 15 Apr 2009 00:40

Russia offers India role in uranium centre project.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 15 Apr 2009 18:03

L&T, Russia's Atomstroyexport in pact to build nuclear plants.

Jamal K. Malik · Post by **Jamal K. Malik** » 15 Apr 2009 18:50

L&T in pact with Russian co for nuclear power reactors