India nuclear news and discussion

Austin · Post by **Austin** » 07 Feb 2009 15:23

Russia's TVEL to sign $780 mln nuclear fuel deal with India

MOSCOW, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russian nuclear fuel producer TVEL expects to sign a $780 million contract on fuel supplies to Indian nuclear power plants, a spokesman for Russia's state nuclear power corporation Rosatom said on Saturday.

The contract, if signed, could make Russia the first country to supply nuclear fuel to India since the Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted a three-decade ban on nuclear fuel sales to the country on September 6, 2008.

"The contract is likely to be signed on February 11 in Mumbai," the spokesman said.

Under the deal, Russia would supply India with 2,000 metric tons of uranium pellets.

In December, the French company Areva and India's Atomic Energy Department signed a deal for the supply of 300 tons of uranium to be used in Indian nuclear reactors under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

The fuel contract would be another step in burgeoning nuclear cooperation between Russia and India. On December 5, Moscow and Delhi signed an agreement to build an additional four reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, where it is finishing two reactors under an earlier contract, and construct new nuclear plants in India.

TVEL is one of the world's leading manufacturers of nuclear fuel, which it supplies to 73 commercial (17% of global market) and 30 research reactors in 13 countries.

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 07 Feb 2009 18:19

Arun Sir, is it because our ability to design and produce a reactor is limited to 550MW ? IIRC the next step is to design 700 MW reactors.
The DAE is making plans for setting up "Nuclear Parks" with clusters of 4 to 6 1600 MW reactors

Nitesh · Post by **Nitesh** » 07 Feb 2009 18:50

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Indi ... 092493.cms

India ready for ban on nuclear weapons: NSA

MUNICH: India is willing to negotiate a nuclear weapons convention leading to global non-discriminatory and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons, National Security Advisor MK Narayanan has said here.

Addressing an international security conference in Munich on Friday, the NSA said: "If this conference succeeds in not merely addressing the issue of nuclear reductions but also devise pathways to their elimination, this might well be the transforming moment for the global community."

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 07 Feb 2009 22:09

I am now fully convinced that MKN is National Insecurity Adviser. I really dont know what value he brings. This muddled communist pretending to be bag carrier for the INC dynasty, should commit hara kiri after all the goof ups he was responsible for ever since Mr J.N. Dixit died.

ajay_ijn · Post by **ajay_ijn** » 07 Feb 2009 23:13

Austin wrote:Russia's TVEL to sign $780 mln nuclear fuel deal with India

why not import yellow cake and manufacture fuel ourselves.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 08 Feb 2009 01:02

Regular speeches on Full Disarmament are for the gallery. No other nuclear power is going to buy it, except maybe UK who are trying to get rid of their nukes, before the Islamists take over the land.

So all these speeches is an effort to keep left, perhaps align ourselves with the Nuclear Ayotallahs and at the same time put the ball in somebody else's court. It is an effort to preempt all the CTBT pressure on the way to Delhi.

And just by chance (0.0000001%), should the nuclear powers accept total disarmament, then the other NWS would be getting rid of an arsenal, which is far bigger than that of India, far more tested than that of India. And putting a peacenik hat for a change, it is not a bad thing if China and Pakistan are verifiably denuked.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 08 Feb 2009 01:25

With that kind of logic what the powers be will ask for is to eliminate the small arsenals first and you know who gets th suggestion first. After PKII its not fesible for India to run with the hares. Yet Indian elite is still stuck in that mode. This is what gives the image of soft state.

Notwar Singh was the biggest proponent of this stupid idea.

All info is comingout by the truckload that TSP was nuclearised since 1991 and that led to therevoking Pessler amandements while the Indian eilte was in Hamlet mode.

Soon BD will get the nukes via AQk dregs.

ravit · Post by **ravit** » 08 Feb 2009 01:31

This is just normal BS. Even obama, who is very vocal about non-prolifaration, will do nothing regarding dis-armament. Maximum he can do is to make US ratify CTBT and push CTBT on India with full force. I guess we need a condition to stick to "Complete Dis-armament and then we will sign ", which everyone knows will never happen.

Even today, India is perhaps the only nuclear weapons state to express its readiness to negotiate a Nuclear Weapons Convention leading to global, non-discriminatory and verifiable elimination of nuclear weapons.

RajeshA · Post by **RajeshA** » 08 Feb 2009 01:56

ramana wrote:With that kind of logic what the powers be will ask for is to eliminate the small arsenals first and you know who gets th suggestion first. After PKII its not fesible for India to run with the hares. Yet Indian elite is still stuck in that mode. This is what gives the image of soft state.

Notwar Singh was the biggest proponent of this stupid idea.

All info is comingout by the truckload that TSP was nuclearised since 1991 and that led to therevoking Pessler amandements while the Indian eilte was in Hamlet mode.

Soon BD will get the nukes via AQk dregs.

Even if Santa Disarmament Clause really exists, it will have to be a coordinated move.

Hypothetical Coordination:
-----------------------------
First the scum of the world will get rid of their weapons: Pakistan, North Korea, Iran.
Second Russia and US will have to bring down their weapons.
Third Russia and US will bring down their levels to that of China, as China brings down to half.
Fourth Russia and US will bring the levels to that of China.
Fifth Russia, US, China will bring down the levels to that of India.
Then all will go down gradually to a few.
Then all will eliminate.

India cannot go down until China does not, and China will not go down until US and Russia do not. That is just the way it is, and nobody can push it through otherwise.

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 08 Feb 2009 02:59

Oh,
This is just India preparing the grounds for a Holier than thou reply, to when the CTBT gets forced down on India's head.

India can conveniently reply, "We do not believe in the CTBT, we stand for a Universal Disarmament onlee".

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 08 Feb 2009 03:12

ajay_ijn wrote:
Austin wrote:Russia's TVEL to sign $780 mln nuclear fuel deal with India

MOSCOW, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russian nuclear fuel producer TVEL expects to sign a $780 million contract on fuel supplies to Indian nuclear power plants, a spokesman for Russia's state nuclear power corporation Rosatom said on Saturday.

The contract, if signed, could make Russia the first country to supply nuclear fuel to India since the Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted a three-decade ban on nuclear fuel sales to the country on September 6, 2008.

"The contract is likely to be signed on February 11 in Mumbai," the spokesman said.

Under the deal, Russia would supply India with 2,000 metric tons of uranium pellets.

In December, the French company Areva and India's Atomic Energy Department signed a deal for the supply of 300 tons of uranium to be used in Indian nuclear reactors under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

The fuel contract would be another step in burgeoning nuclear cooperation between Russia and India. On December 5, Moscow and Delhi signed an agreement to build an additional four reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, where it is finishing two reactors under an earlier contract, and construct new nuclear plants in India.

TVEL is one of the world's leading manufacturers of nuclear fuel, which it supplies to 73 commercial (17% of global market) and 30 research reactors in 13 countries.

why not import yellow cake and manufacture fuel ourselves.

$780 mln for 2000 metric tonnes makes it cost to be $780/Kg.

Weekly Spot Ux (U3O8) Yellowcake Price as of February 2, 2009 Natural Uranium was $106/Kg.
Fuel Conversion and fabrication typically costs ~$330/Kg.
OTOH Fuel enrichment (@7.3 SWU) typically costs $980/Kg.

So the above must have cost added in to lightly enrich the fuel (or to enrich someones pockets). Does anyone know the fuel enrichment required for Russian VVER-1000 reactors in Kudankulam?

Katare · Post by **Katare** » 08 Feb 2009 03:16

ramana wrote:With that kind of logic what the powers be will ask for is to eliminate the small arsenals first and you know who gets th suggestion first. After PKII its not fesible for India to run with the hares. Yet Indian elite is still stuck in that mode. This is what gives the image of soft state.

Notwar Singh was the biggest proponent of this stupid idea.

All info is comingout by the truckload that TSP was nuclearised since 1991 and that led to therevoking Pessler amandements while the Indian eilte was in Hamlet mode.

Soon BD will get the nukes via AQk dregs.

That would be discraminatory and India's position since 70s has been to support total, varifiable and nondiscraminatory nuclear disarmament.

p_saggu · Post by **p_saggu** » 08 Feb 2009 03:26

What is so special about the Tarapur reactors that we have to import its fuel? Don't we have a mature refining and enrichment programme within the country?
Are imports being resorted to because of economics of scale? Earlier because Uranium was scarce, we did not invest in commercial scale uranium refining and enrichment plants. But with Heavy Minerals going to commercial scale, isn't it possible to do this here itself?

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 08 Feb 2009 03:43

p_saggu wrote:What is so special about the Tarapur reactors that we have to import its fuel?

the BWR Tarapur reactors from US does not use Heavy Water moderators, thus it cant reach criticality with natural uranum (only 0.7% enrichment in fresh fuel), thus are designed for fuel with 3.5% enrichment.

Don't we have a mature refining and enrichment programme within the country?

No. Indian 3 stage fuel cycle does not have any place for enriched Uranium thus no enrichment programme.

Are imports being resorted to because of economics of scale? Earlier because Uranium was scarce, we did not invest in commercial scale uranium refining and enrichment plants. But with Heavy Minerals going to commercial scale, isn't it possible to do this here itself?

He heeeee... go ask MMS, Mantok Singh or your own "Padam Bhushan" Anil Kakodkar

They have secret jinn gyan that defies physics and economic science.

NRao · Post by **NRao** » 08 Feb 2009 04:07

$780 mln for 2000 metric tonnes makes it cost to be $780/Kg

Should it not be $780,000,000/2,000,000Kgs = $390/Kg? Or am I missing something?

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 08 Feb 2009 12:27

X-posted...

Arun_S wrote:
ramana wrote:BTW, IDR has published Arun's article on the way to a credible deterrent. I saw that in the contents page of the latest issue!

Austin let me think about it.
Thanks for pointing out. Just saw Indian Defense Review's ToC at:
http://www.indiandefencereview.com/wp-c ... ntents.pdf
DEFENCE & TECHNOLOGY MONITOR
• INDIA‘S MISSION TO MOON, G Madhavan Nair Pg:16
• INDIAN AIR FORCE OF THE FUTURE, Air Marshal BK Pandey Pg: 28
• WAY TO A CREDIBLE DETERRENT, Arun S Vishwakarma Pg: 40
• SHOURYA/SAGARIKA MISSILE, Arun S Vishwakarma Pg:51
• INDIAN DEFENCE PROCUREMENT REGIME: Dissuasive Features, Major General Mrinal Suman Pg:56
I am happy to note that IDR recognized the importance of the nuclear issue and gave space to the 11 page long article on Nuclear Deterrent, that deals with wide aspects of the issue. This article is also made available to BR's SRR Adminullah for its next issue.

The "SHOURYA/SAGARIKA MISSILE" is a 4 page article, it will be made available on BR website after 15 Feb.

I thank all BRFites who helped in writing / reviewing it.

Lancer Publishers will put this IDR issue on wide publicity at Aero India-2009, feel free to ask for a complimentary copy at the "Lancer Publishers" booth.

Raju · Post by **Raju** » 08 Feb 2009 12:56

RaviBg wrote:Pranab to control the 'nuke button' till PM recovers

New Delhi: A day before Prime Minister Manmohan Singh got admitted into AIIMS for his heart-bypass, he signed a document delegating the vital Nuclear Command Authority powers to External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee. Besides, the PM appointed Mukherjee as the Finance Minister till he is fully recovered to take the charge back.

Contrary to reports, the so-called nuclear button was handed over to Pranab as soon as the decision to go for surgery was taken by the PM. However, the decision to put Mukherjee as head of Finance was taken after discussions with Congress President Sonia Gandhi.

the "nuclear button" concept is meaningless unless India openly declares how many weapons it has in its nuclear arsenal. Lack of transperancy will always result in negative consequences. For all that we know there may have been no "nuclear button" and hence no need to transfer it to anyone. This whole 'transfer' issue came up only after the media raised it after it was raised on this forum.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 08 Feb 2009 19:15

http://www.hinduonnet.com/fline/fl1621/16211020.htm

Third, in response to a question from a mediaperson whether the nuclear button would be in a briefcase with the Prime Minister, he replied: "We are far more advanced than those with the black box with the button."

http://www.rediff.com/news/2000/sep/18diary.htm

Now, we have the Indian version of the same. For the past few days, the media team has noticed a person carrying a brown leather soft bag (the US bag is a black briefcase) and following the prime minister.

And this became most evident today when the US president received the prime minister on the White House lawns. When Vajpayee's car stopped in front of Clinton, first a personal security officer got down and went around to assist the prime minister. And then, a third person disembarked, carrying "The Bag".

So now at least we know that the nuclear codes of India, in true democratic fashion, are with the prime minister.

sum · Post by **sum** » 08 Feb 2009 19:17

in response to a question from a mediaperson whether the nuclear button would be in a briefcase with the Prime Minister, he replied: "We are far more advanced than those with the b lack box with the button."

What does "We are more advanced than black box with the button" mean?

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 08 Feb 2009 19:26

http://www.pprune.org/aviation-history- ... blanc.html

I've just read the book "Crash au Mont Blanc" by Francois Rey (in French) about the 2 Air India accidents on Mont Blanc in 1950 and 1966.

The guides also say that their main task was to find a briefcase belonging to a nuclear scientist who was on board. There was no attempt to recover the bodies, which to this day are being found at the bottom of the glacier des Bossons, which flows from the summit of Mont Blanc to the town of Chamonix.

The author claims that all the official records relating to this accident are classified, and that the people involved at the time either refuse to speak or claim they have forgotten - although he says they haven't forgotten the 1950 accident.

Hariprasad · Post by **Hariprasad** » 09 Feb 2009 01:16

Sorry if this has been posted before. Just came across this site.
http://www.isanw.org(Indian Scientists Against Nuclear Weapons)
They might as well rename themselves as Indian Scientists for Kumbaya.

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 09 Feb 2009 01:59

Indian American physicist Shiva Subramanya dead

Subramanya was the chairman of the military-industry committee, which draws-up the policy, procedures and operations concepts for the US military including USAF Space Command until his retirement in 1998.

He was national president of Indian Professional Forum, US - an organisation of scientists and engineers of Indian origin. He was also the vice-president of Viswa Hindu Parishad (America).

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 10 Feb 2009 05:25

Refusal to sell uranium to India 'morally questionable'

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 10 Feb 2009 08:45

Gerard wrote:Indian American physicist Shiva Subramanya dead
Subramanya was the chairman of the military-industry committee, which draws-up the policy, procedures and operations concepts for the US military including USAF Space Command until his retirement in 1998.

He was national president of Indian Professional Forum, US - an organisation of scientists and engineers of Indian origin. He was also the vice-president of Viswa Hindu Parishad (America).

I knew him well. He was giant among weaponeers in US! RIP ji!

Star Wars amar rahe!

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 11 Feb 2009 03:29

Imported fuel supplies for nuclear stations being tied up

Sanatanan · Post by **Sanatanan** » 11 Feb 2009 19:51

From DD News 11 Feb 2009:

DAE signs a contract with Russian TVEL for 2000 tonnes uranium

Department of Atomic Energy on Wednesday signed a contract with TVEL, a joint stock company of the Russian Federation, for long-term supply of 2000 tonnes of natural Uranium pellets to India.

These natural Uranium pellets will be for India's Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, to be placed under civil domain of IAEA safeguards.

The two have also signed another contract for about 60 tonnes of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) pellets for Boiling Water Reactors (BWR) at Tarapur, operated by Nuclear Power Corporation of India limited.

For the two units of BWRs at Tarapur, Russia had earlier supplied fuel pellets on two occasions and the present supply is a repeat of earlier contracts, a Department release said in Mumbai.

The contract is for USD 780 million, TVEL sources said.

The contract was signed by TVEL President Y Olenin with DAE Director of Purchase and Stores H C Soni at the Department's headquarters, Anushakti Bhavan, in south Mumbai.

This is a major and second agreement India has signed for supply of fuel since changes in the Nuclear Suppliers Group's guidelines on 6th September, 2008 to facilitate international civil nuclear trade with India, DAE said. (NZ-11/02)

I am afraid, my worst fears about penchant for importing items even if they can be made in India are coming true. India has been manufacturing Nat U pellets for PHWRs for nearly 30 years now - right from Rajasthan-1 days. I understand that even the 1st half-charge for the Rajasthan-1 core was made in India on Dr. Bhabha's insistence. Ever since then all PHWR fuel pellets, and indeed the finish manufactured fuel rods too, have been made in India. Why import pellets at this juncture instead of just the ore or at the most, just the semi-processed yellow cake - assuming for the moment that as a result of repeated assertions (brain washing?), the canard about lack of Uranium in India is taken as accepted? If I remember correctly, the PHWR fuel fabrication facility at NFC will also be under safeguards.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 11 Feb 2009 22:42

Time critical and keeps the sellers happy. More important to clinch the sale to establish the legitimacy after the NSG waiver.

BTW above was a partial whine!

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 11 Feb 2009 23:54

As usual massa land BBC/UK puts a title wanting Yindians to belive it is a baksheesh that is beign given.

Russia agrees India nuclear deal

Officials sign the deal in Mumbai
Russian and Indian officials signed the deal in Mumbai

Russia and India have agreed deals totalling $700m by which Moscow will supply uranium pellets to Delhi, Indian and Russian officials say.

Russia's state-owned Atomenergoprom said its TVEL arm had signed the deals on Wednesday with Indian officials.

The deal follows the decision by the Nuclear Suppliers Group in September last year to lift restrictions on uranium deliveries to India.

The international group oversees the reduction of nuclear proliferation.

US accord

Atomenergoprom says the deals are the first long-term nuclear fuel contracts signed with India in recent years.

A statement released by the Indian department of atomic energy said that deals comprise the long-term supply of 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium pellets for India's pressurised Heavy Water Reactors, in addition to another contract for Low Enriched Uranium pellets for Boiling Water Reactor units operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India.

The statement said that imported natural uranium from Russia would be used under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

It said that the deal with Russia was the second major agreement India had made relating to the supply of nuclear fuel since the the Nuclear Suppliers Group allowed international civil nuclear trade with India.

In October the US and India signed a civilian nuclear co-operation accord to end 34 years of US sanctions.

As I analysed earlier the price did not jive with either Natural Uranium pucrchase enither Low Enriched. It was in the middle of teh two range. Now we know that was because the deal is for both the more expensive "enriched Uranium" pelletes for Tarapur's boiling water reactor and "natural Uranium" for PHWR.

Arun_S wrote:
Austin wrote:Russia's TVEL to sign $780 mln nuclear fuel deal with India

MOSCOW, February 7 (RIA Novosti) - Russian nuclear fuel producer TVEL expects to sign a $780 million contract on fuel supplies to Indian nuclear power plants, a spokesman for Russia's state nuclear power corporation Rosatom said on Saturday.

The contract, if signed, could make Russia the first country to supply nuclear fuel to India since the Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted a three-decade ban on nuclear fuel sales to the country on September 6, 2008.

"The contract is likely to be signed on February 11 in Mumbai," the spokesman said.

Under the deal, Russia would supply India with 2,000 metric tons of uranium pellets.

In December, the French company Areva and India's Atomic Energy Department signed a deal for the supply of 300 tons of uranium to be used in Indian nuclear reactors under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

The fuel contract would be another step in burgeoning nuclear cooperation between Russia and India. On December 5, Moscow and Delhi signed an agreement to build an additional four reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, where it is finishing two reactors under an earlier contract, and construct new nuclear plants in India.

TVEL is one of the world's leading manufacturers of nuclear fuel, which it supplies to 73 commercial (17% of global market) and 30 research reactors in 13 countries.
$780 mln for 2000 metric tonnes makes it cost to be $780/Kg.

Weekly Spot Ux (U3O8) Yellowcake Price as of February 2, 2009 Natural Uranium was $106/Kg.
Fuel Conversion and fabrication typically costs ~$330/Kg.
OTOH Fuel enrichment (@7.3 SWU) typically costs $980/Kg.

So the above must have cost added in to lightly enrich the fuel (or to enrich someones pockets). Does anyone know the fuel enrichment required for Russian VVER-1000 reactors in Kudankulam?

Baljeet · Post by **Baljeet** » 12 Feb 2009 00:45

ramana wrote:I am now fully convinced that MKN is National Insecurity Adviser. I really dont know what value he brings. This muddled communist pretending to be bag carrier for the INC dynasty, should commit hara kiri after all the goof ups he was responsible for ever since Mr J.N. Dixit died.

Ramana Ji
This guy is the biggest Morong, Loser ever to be part of any NSA in whole world. He is one of those free loaders who takes pride in licking grapes, living in gov't perks after retirement. People like him are so accustomed to their lifestyle and perks, mooching off they will do anything for it. He has single handidly given more ammo to our nemesis than most people ever born in this country. Sad part is people like him don't fall to any disease or natural causes.

putnanja · Post by **putnanja** » 12 Feb 2009 03:38

India seals uranium purchase deals with Russia

...
The Department of Atomic Energy placed an order for 2,000 tonnes of natural uranium pellets for its various Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs) with Russia’s TVEL, one of the largest suppliers of uranium in the world and a company that has supplied fuel for Indian reactors in the past as well.

Additionally, India also ordered for about 60 tonnes of low enriched uranium (LEU) pellets for its two boiling water reactor units in Tarapur being operated by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL). This is a repeat order with Russia which has supplied LEU for the BWRs on two earlier occasions.

...
..

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 13 Feb 2009 04:14

The lines of nuclear succession

Sanjay M · Post by **Sanjay M** » 15 Feb 2009 12:39

February 14, 2009
India Major Fast Breeder Program Kicking Into Higher Gear: Two Breeder Will Start Construction

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 15 Feb 2009 18:02

U.S. firms "restless" over India nuclear deal delays

India's NTPC, NPC plan 2,000 MW nuclear power unit

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 15 Feb 2009 18:21

No nuclear power plants for Pvt Cos till 2020

Arun_S · Post by **Arun_S** » 17 Feb 2009 11:40

Any news on how much increase or decrease in DAE's budget?

If you recall last year teh budget fro key nuclear projects was slashed down in real terms.

John Snow · Post by **John Snow** » 17 Feb 2009 12:03

Arun garu, Its all (mush room) cloud computing these days

Sanatanan · Post by **Sanatanan** » 17 Feb 2009 13:36

Arun_S wrote: Does anyone know the fuel enrichment required for Russian VVER-1000 reactors in Kudankulam?

This magazine issue could perhaps be referred:

Nuclear Engineering and Design (ELSEVER)
Volume 236/7-8, 2006
India's Reactors Past, Present, Future
GUEST EDITOR:
G. Lohnert
Contents:
* Topical Issue on "INDIA'S REACTORS"
* Design and development of the AHWR—the Indian thorium fuelled innovative nuclear reactor
* The Indian PHWR
* Spent fuel reprocessing: A vital link in Indian nualear power program
* Refurbishment and safety upgradation of research reactor Cirus
* Dhruva: Main design features, operational experience and utilization
* Critical Facility for lattice physics experiments for the Advanced Heavy Water Reactor and the 500 MWe pressurized heavy water reactors
* Multi purpose research reactor
* Refurbishment and core conversion of the Apsara reactor
* The Fast Breeder Test Reactor—Design and operating experiences
* The VVERs at KudanKulam
* Construction management of Indian pressurized heavy water reactors
* The design of the Prototype Fast Breeder Reaclor
* The future 700 MWe pressurized heavy water reactor
* Research reactor KAMINI
* Tarapur Atomic Power Station Units-! and 2. Design features, operating experience and license renewal
* Regulatory practices for nuclear power plants in India
* Radioactive waste management practices in India

A "friendly neighbourhood" (technical) library may perhaps be the best source for the above issue.

Individual articles (priced) as pdf files are also indicated to be avilable at
www.Sciencedirect.com

Vipul · Post by **Vipul** » 18 Feb 2009 02:41

Arun_S wrote:Any news on how much increase or decrease in DAE's budget?

If you recall last year teh budget fro key nuclear projects was slashed down in real terms.

Outlay for atomic energy that covers key nuclear research centres and other institutions has reduced from last year’s revised estimate of Rs 4,964 crore to Rs 4,835 crore for 2009-10.

The outlay for India’s nuclear power programme in the 2009-10 interim budget is 28 per cent more than the previous year while the allocation for atomic energy has contracted by Rs 129 crore.

The planned allocation for nuclear power schemes is up from a revised estimate of Rs 1,813 crore for 2008-09 to Rs 2,337 crore for 2009-10, with a significant proportion earmarked for building up the fuel inventory for nuclear power plants.

India has ordered 300 tonnes of uranium fuel from French company Areva for its nuclear plants under safeguards, expected to be delivered later this year. It has also ordered 2,000 tonnes from Russia which will be imported over several years. The budget allocation for the nuclear fuel inventory has gone up to Rs 953 crore for 2009-10, from Rs 583 crore last year.

A senior official at the Nuclear Power Corporation (NPC), the public-sector company that builds and operates India’s nuclear power reactors, said the budget increase this year was not intended for any new reactors.

“We’re budget-neutral, so our plans to build new nuclear reactors may not become visible in Union budget documents,” the official said. The NPC has said it will use its own internal resources and borrowed funds for new reactors.

But the outlay for atomic energy that covers key nuclear research centres and other institutions has reduced from last year’s revised estimate of Rs 4,964 crore to Rs 4,835 crore for 2009-10.

A senior scientist said the reduction in the allocation for atomic energy did not reflect any cuts in research programmes. “The procedure for government spending has become complicated over the years. The speed at which we can spend the funds has reduced,” the scientist said. “When the allocated funds don’t get used up during the year, it is reflected in the budget next year.”

The 2009-10 outlays for space and earth sciences are also more than 25 per cent higher than the previous year’s allocations. The department of space will get Rs 4,459 crore in 2009-10, against Rs 3,499 in 2008-09.

ramana · Post by **ramana** » 18 Feb 2009 05:33

So nuke deal was bogus. There are no plans to buy anything at all?

Gerard · Post by **Gerard** » 18 Feb 2009 06:04

Nuclear-trade mission tours India