Nuclear Thread - 4

[Shaurya]

NSA spells it out: Fast breeder reactors not to be used for military purpose

In the clearest enunciation of the government’s position on what it intends to do with the fast breeder reactor programme, National Security Advisor M K Narayanan told a conference of security experts in Bahrain last Saturday that India’s fast breeder reactors are not for “military purposes” and the government had “no intention” to place it in the “military realm”.

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“The 2006 separation plan between India and the US, which has since been embedded in the IAEA safeguards agreement, refers to those items that are to be kept in the safeguarded category and a few in the non-safeguarded category. We had a long debate about our position on the fast-breeder reactor, and the Indian and US negotiators reached the point that the fast-breeder reactor was still in a very experimental stage. Therefore, it was not yet time to decide whether it should or should not go under safeguards. I want to underline the point that the fast-breeder reactor is not meant for military purposes. I think there was a reference to that. We have no intention for the fast-breeder reactor to be put into the military realm.”

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“We have already passed many milestones on the way to this target. We have identified many of them and achieved several benchmarks. Our 500 MW prototype fast breeder reactor is today in an advanced stage of construction...India’s experiment with fast breeder reactors and the use of the thorium cycle could prove extremely useful to ensure energy security in the future,” said Narayanan.



The NSA went on to elaborate on India’s plans in the Q&A session, making it clear that FBRs will not be used for making nuclear weapons. “We see the three-stage, close-fuel cycle of the pressurised heavy water reactor, the fast breeder and the thorium fuel as the hope of the future. Anybody who has some understanding of nuclear weapons would realise that you do not require the fast breeder to produce nuclear weapons.”

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Gayi bhains pani mein.



ABV announces that they are willing the negotiate CTBT the very day of the tests. Now, after fighting tooth and nail to get the breeders out of safeguards, here is our NSA, folding it in. I can only "hope", the powers that be are getting something worthwhile in return for all these compromises. Reminds me of a statement John Burns had made that over time 99% of the Indian nuclear establishment will be under safeguards. Looks like he was right.



Also, if the FBR's are not the surest and fastest way to a fissile material stock pile then what is? The 6 PHWR's in low burn mode? Cirrus is going to be decommissioned, that just leaves Dhruva as the sole dedicated reactor to produce WG Pu (minus reprocessing) so far.