Nuclear Conversion And Processing

India Has No Constraint To Proceed With 'Closed Fuel Cycle'
30 January 2007

HINDUSTAN TIMES (MUMBAI)— India will not have any constraint to proceed with the "closed fuel cycle" as Russia has recognised India as its equal partner as well as a responsible nuclear country, top officials of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) said 30 January 2007. The NPCIL statement follows a 25 January 2007 agreement where four Russian nuclear reactors will be constructed in Kudankulum by 2012 to 2013. NPCIL officials further stated that the Indo-Russian nuclear agreement signed on 25 January 2007 stands in "sharp contrast to Indo-US nuclear deliberations in which the whole agenda apart from providing economic benefit to US business, further restricts 'even' India's indigenously created technologies, under the guise of non-proliferation."

"Issues on spent fuel was never a problem with Russians and they have clearly said about the use of closed fuel cycle with the Russian reactors," NPCIL officials further stated. India would be able to reprocess spent nuclear fuel to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons when the closed fuel cycle is used. Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/news/181_1915499,0008.htm

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-Ian