India to establish Global Center for Nuke Energy Partnership, works on Thorium fuel

[Justin Joseph]

India to establish Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership, works on Thorium fuel

Indian government is expected to establish, own and manage a Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership.

 

[shyampsunder2003]

India having one of the highest thorium reserves in the world must actively try to use it as the reactor fuel instead of uranium, i know that the tech to do that is still not there yet but R&D for that must be allocated

 

[somebozo]

Kudos to India. One thing i really appreciate about India and Indians is their attitude towards knowledge.

 

[ajtr]

France, Russia to assist India to set up global centre for nuclear energy​

Besides the US, France and Russia would also assist India in setting up the first global centre for nuclear energy partnership in Haryana to carry out research in areas of advanced nuclear energy systems, nuclear security and radiation technology applications.

"The Centre in Jhajjar district would be set up with assistance of France, Russia and the United States for research and development of secure and proliferation resistant reactor systems," chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Kumar Banerjee told reporters in Chandigarhafter making a presentation to chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on the Centre.

Banerjee said assistance of the United Kingdom may also be taken in this project, he added.

An MoU for cooperation on the Centre was signed during President Barack Obama held with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his visit to the country last month.

"The Centre will facilitate deliberation and discussions of international experts on various issues including innovation in nuclear reactors and the nuclear fuel cycle, development of proliferation-resistant reactors, security technologies and the effects of radiation exposure," Banerjee said.

The initiative was announced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the Nuclear Security Summit held in Washington on 13th April 2010.

Banerjee apprised the chief minister of the facilities that would be available at the global centre and the likely benefits for the people in the fields of agriculture, health and industry.

He said the Centre would also host short-term training courses for international nuclear experts in the field of nuclear security.

 

[Nair saab]

India is the only country which is working hard on Thorium based reactor... kakrapar-1in surat (India) is the first & the only Thorium based reactor in world & India has 25% of the world thorium reserve...
Photos of kakrapar...

 

[ajtr]

Indo-French connection goes nuclear​

NEW DELHI: Is nuclear the way to India's heart? For both France and India, it's fast becoming a natural tie, if you heard French president Nicolas Sarkozy in Bangalore on Saturday. With India getting the all-clear for global nuclear commerce, Sarkozy wants to leverage France's civilian nuclear expertise to marry economic and strategic relations with India. "Nuclear energy will now be the focus of our cooperation. We all know how critical it is for India to ensure its energy security," Sarkozy said in Bangalore.

France became the second country after the US to support India's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG). In Vienna, the US has already approached the NSG committees to push India's membership. Although this will be formally taken up during the NSG plenary in 2011, getting more hands for India will make the process easier. India itself should be doing advocacy for itself in the NSG outreach group in preparation for the plenary. But the Indian government has twice postponed meetings with NSG officials, which means this will now be addressed in 2011.

For this new engagement to get teeth, France and India will need to come to some sort of understanding on India's liability law which, despite a lot of polite talk from the French side, is emerging to be an obstacle.

In an interview recently, the chief of Areva, Anne Lauvergeon, said France would only decide how much of a problem the law would be after the implementation rules are drafted. The government is expected to put out the rules by the end of the year — 90 days after the bill became law. Given Sarkozy's emphasis, this issue is bound to dominate discussions with the PM on Monday, but equally, Manmohan Singh's current difficulties might make any forward looking decision difficult.

At Isro, Bangalore, on Saturday, Sarkozy spent 25 minutes to set out the new terms of engagement — science, space, nuclear, technology. "France, the US, Russia and the UK have already signed agreements with India. Others will join them soon," Sarkozy said.

"That's why it makes sense for India to now participate fully in the work of the multilateral bodies responsible for drafting and ensuring compliance with the non-proliferation regime, starting with the Nuclear Suppliers Group. France supports India's candidacy to join these groups," he added. It will be India's membership to groups like the Wassenaar and Australia Group that will make it easier for this new economic relationship to bear fruit because it will enable trade in dual-use technologies that India keenly desires.

Read more: Indo-French connection goes nuclear - The Times of India Indo-French connection goes nuclear - The Times of India