India's nuclear regulator the Atomic Energy Regulator Board is carrying out a thorough review of the first unit of the much-delayed Kudankulam atomic power plant as directed by the Supreme Court last month. "We are reviewing the safety aspects of Unit 1 at Kudankulam as directed by the Supreme Court," an AERB official said
The report also said that without greater transparency and spot checks, the International Atomic Energy Agency cannot affirm that Tehran's nuclear programme is solely for peaceful purposes to produce energy and not weapons.
I suggest we build a Vigyan Mandir (Temple of Science) with the ambience of a place of worship, so that it becomes a destination for pilgrims. We should embed on its walls bronze plaques describing each scientist mentioned here along with about a dozen of our ancient mathematicians, recommends Professor Kalyan Singhal, historian of science and technology.
The much-awaited Advanced Heavy Water Reactor may be the first reactor to come up in populated areas like the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre.
India's nuclear regulator on Friday said it has granted permission for loading of fuel into the much-delayed Kudankulam atomic power plant.
India's nuclear regulator has found no defects in the reactor pressure vessel of the Kudankulam atomic power plant, the Lok Sabha was informed on Wednesday.
The Koodankulam atomic power project is expected to be commissioned in September, capping months of delays due to non-availability of equipment and anti-nuclear protests.
With the International Atomic Energy Agency weighing options to deal with Iran's nuclear programme, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Thursday said the issue should be dealt with diplomatically as he discussed it with US President Barack Obama.
Indore-based Raja Ramanna Centre for Advanced Technology, a Department of Atomic Energy facility, has played a major role in the supply of vital parts for Large Hadron Collider of European Organisation for Nuclear Research.
India's strong nuclear programme, with comprehensive capability for the entire nuclear fuel cycle and the strong technical support from Bhabha Atomic Research Centre and Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research, were highly appreciated, according to Chairman of Atomic Energy Regulatory Board S K Sharma, who led the 17 member high-level Indian delegation. India presented its 206-page report for the first time that included the effective regulatory mechanism for power plants.
The Nationalist Congress Party on Friday said the Centre cannot carry out any project forcibly without taking the local population into confidence.
There is no shortage of uranium on the planet.
In-principle approval has been accorded to a site in Maharashtra's Jaitapur for setting up six nuclear power reactors of 1,650 MW each in technical cooperation with France, the government said on Thursday.
India's civil nuclear liability regime has raised serious questions about the country's capacity addition programme. In an interview with Sanjay Jog, G R Srinivasan, former vice-chairman of the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and currently principal associate-nuclear power business in GMR Energy Ltd, says the regime is tremendously unbalanced and may adversely affect the nuclear capacity addition programme.
International experts reaching Vienna for the 51st general conference of the IAEA are understood to be keen to know about the opportunities likely to emerge if the Indo-US civil nuclear deal goes through.
With the standoff over the Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant issue continuing, top atomic scientists will meet Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa on Friday to discuss ways and means to allay the fears of the locals who are insisting on scrapping the project.
Russia's top nuclear energy official will visit India this week to review the progress in the construction of Kudankulam atomic power station and discuss the prospects of development of a civil nuclear cooperation.
As concerned Indians we need to ask what can be done in the short term, which does not require legislative approval to enhance investment.
Membership of Nuclear Suppliers Group ensures continued availability of fuel sufficient to operate India's nuclear plants.
Several nuclear power projects held up for the lack of such an insurance pool can now be expected to move forward.
India on Wednesday said Iran should fully cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency with a view to restoring confidence of the international community that its nuclear programme is peaceful in nature.
"Work on the PFBR is on schedule and we expect it to be completed by 2010," Atomic Energy Commission Chairman Anil Kakodkar told reporters in Delhi on Thursday evening.
"India, with long-standing experience in operating nuclear plants and building human and knowledge resources, can be a guiding force for new entrants seeking to harness atomic technology for producing power."
Iran has resumed uranium enrichment, which was suspended under a deal with the European Union and critical questions remain about its atomic programme, the United Nations nuclear watchdog has said.
An additional protocol to the nuclear safeguards agreement between the International Atomic Energy Agency and the US, giving the agency better access to nuclear sites has entered into force, making America the last of the five atomic-weapon states party to the global non-proliferation pact.
The military conflict around the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine -- Europe's largest nuclear plant -- has raised fears of an accident worse than the Chernobyl accident in 1986.
Overall, data and its analysis used in the reports prove that members of staff of DAE, like others, are prone to cancer and suicides! No more, no less! Sensational reports have the potential to do infinite damage to our nation's nuclear energy programe and create unwanted fear, says Dr K S Parthasarathy.
Nuclear tests of 1998 have given us capability to build deterrence both in fission and fusion categories, Anil Kakodkar, Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission, said on Thursday.
In a step towards diversifying its resource base and securing green energy minerals, India is poised to launch its first-ever offshore mineral auction in the first quarter of 2024, announced Union Minister of Mines Pralhad Joshi during the launch event of the National Geoscience Data Repository portal. The government plans to hold auctions in March, offering 10-15 blocks for bidding. Meanwhile, the ministry of mines is currently developing rules and regulations for offshore mining.
Science and Technology Minister Prithviraj Chavan, who is in-charge of Department of Atomic Energy, said the country lacks a law under which compensation could be awarded in the case of a nuclear accident.
Dr Kakodkar's strategic stubbornness ultimately got India what it wanted though the negotiations with the US went to the wire, notes Shivanand Kanavi.
Iran on Tuesday said it will not succumb to the western pressures to compromise its 'inalienable right' to use nuclear technology for peaceful purposes.
Noting that the 123 Agreement between India and the US reflected deepening relationship between the two countries, top Obama Administration officials have said that it would have broader impact in the Indo-US ties.
India on Friday joined the United States in voting against Iran in a resolution passed by United Nations atomic watchdog IAEA censuring the Islamic nation over its controversial nuclear programme and demanding that it stop uranium enrichment.
The PM chaired the AEC meeting on Saturday.
China is set to ink an agreement with the UN atomic watchdog to firm up cooperation in training and nuclear safety in East Asia and the world during the ongoing visit of its chief Yukiya Amano, in the backdrop of its plans to construct two new nuclear reactors in Pakistan.
The first 1,000 MW unit of the much-delayed Kudankulam nuclear power project could be commissioned in the next few days and every step is being taken to ensure safety, a senior official said.
Pakistan plans to build two coastal nuclear power plants with a capacity of 1,000 MW each in the southern port city of Karachi to meet the future energy needs of the financial hub, according to a media report Monday.
Iran is also defying UN demands to suspend uranium enrichment and is producing more powerful centrifuges, the International Atomic Energy Agency said in a strongly worded report, which is bound to renew demands from the US and its western allies for tougher sanctions against Tehran. The report is yet to be released officially, but is said to accuse Iran of not providing all information, especially relating to 'high explosives testing' relating to nuclear programme.
