The emergence of a renewed nuclear apartheid is troubling.
India should just drop all negotiations with the US on the nuclear deal, and tell both superpowers to take a hike.
We have developed nuclear energy (and the full nuclear cycle) for the past 50 years, and we could go on for another 50 years without anyone's help.
Once the Thorium-based breeder reactors are commercialized (in about 10 years' time) the US and Russia will come to India with a 'begging bowl' and beg us to become a part of the nuclear cartel.
Why? Picture this. Once we commercialize our thorium-based breeders, we will start exporting nuclear reactors and fuel reprocessing technologies to friendly nations, and since India is outside of the NPT, India will not require the recipient nations to subject such equipment to IAEA safeguards. The two superpowers are terrified of such a future scenario. Hence the hurry to get India to sign a one-sided nuclear treaty, and to eventually emasculate the Indian nuclear program.
I hope the Manmohan government has the backbone to tell the US and Russia to take a hike!
RE:Shifting of Goalposts
by Rocky Marciano on Jul 11, 2007 05:34 AM Permalink
If this ved vedamanickam is so patriotic he should have stayed back in this country and contributed his share instead of sitting in USA and advising our PM on what to do!
RE:RE:Shifting of Goalposts
by ASHOK on Jul 11, 2007 07:04 AM Permalink
Dear Ved Vedamanikam
Refer to >>>> http://www.india-defence.com/reports-3390
>> BARC's FTBR is claimed to be the first design that truly exploits the concept of 'breeding' in a reactor that uses thorium. The handful of fast breeder reactors (FBRs) in the world today - including the one India is building in Kalpakkam near Chennai - use plutonium as fuel.
These breeders have to wait until enough plutonium is accumulated through reprocessing of spent fuel discharged by thermal power reactors that run on uranium.
Herein lies the rub.
India does not have sufficient uranium to build enough thermal reactors to produce the plutonium needed for more FBRs of the Kalpakkam type. The India-US civilian nuclear deal was expected to enable India import uranium and reprocess spent fuel to recover plutonium for its FBRs. But this deal has hit a roadblock.""
Now tell me How do you propose India to go all alone in FBR technology. Who will give Uranium to India to generate enough plutonium so that FBR can function.
I am no nuclear scientist, so either I fail to understand or you are writing something without any serious study of the topic and nor you have gone through this thread, completely
