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http://www.insightsonindia.com/2013/11/29/india-and-nuclear-issues-connecting-the-dots/

India and Nuclear Issues Connecting the Dots

By INSIGHTS

By- Tauseef Ahmad

Here is a synopsis on Nuclear Issues Related to India
First of all we should understand the very diverse nature of this topic: Lets start paper wise.
Paper 1: World War: Nuclear Race, Dropping on Japan etc
Paper 2:
National:
Indias nuclear program: Civil and Weapon
Policies: Indias Nuclear Doctrine and other policies related to it
Institutions: Department of Atomic Energy, Atomic Energy Commission, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board,
BARC, NPCIL,BHAVINI
Mandate: Of above mentioned institutions and related issues and controversies
Bills: Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, 2011
Reports: Public Account Committee Report on AERB
Acts: Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010
Supreme Courts Verdict on Kudankulam
International:
Strategic issues related to other countries nuclear program for India like Pakistans, Chinas and Iran
nuclear programs.
International conventions on nuclear energy laws
Bilateral relations affecting Nuclear issues with India viz a viz USA, Russia and Japan
Recently concluded Tehran deal also affects India but strategically and economically.
Institution: International Atomic Energy Agency
Developments: ITER : International Thermonuclear Experiment Reactor

Paper 3
Government Budgeting: On Nuclear sectors
Infrastructure: Energy
Science and Technology Developments: Stages of Nuclear program in India
Achievements of Indians in Nuclear energy field
Indigenization of Nuclear technology and developments there in
Sustainable development issue: Nuclear Fusion provide sustainable development: India is working with
ITER as full member
Environmental Impact Assessment related to nuclear power plants
Disaster and Disaster management: Especially in the backdrop of Fukushima Nuclear disaster but we will
also look into other disaster like Chernboyl, Three Mile Island etc for lesson.
Security issues: Threats to Nuclear Power Plants through terrorism, Cyber terrorism, Air attacks etc
Now I have connected all possible angles with respect to our syllabus
I will just put some important issues because covering all things is possible but to write them is hectic. So I am
just mentioning the most important ones. Already I have drafted how all papers are related to each other. Please
try to connect like this. Its work of few hours but it is for ever.
Paper 1: Do you think its related to paper 1, which seems so conventional.
Yeah it is, how?
Trace the world history: World War 2: Nuclear attack on Japan by USA
Two bombs, A Little Boy atomic bomb was dropped on the city of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945, followed by a Fat
Man bomb on the city of Nagasaki on August 9.
Before that the development of nuclear bomb:
MANHATTAN PROJECT:
In 1939, World War II started America and Germany was in a race to build the first atomic bomb. Already, the
theoretical framework of the Nuclear Bomb had been provided by Alfred Einstein. The United States & UK
launched a massive research and product program called the Manhattan Project. The first self sustaining nuclear
reaction was shown by Fermi, and at the same time scientists led by Robert Oppenheimer built and tested the
first nuclear bomb at Los Alamos, New Mexico, USA.
ATOMS FOR PEACE:
In the late 1950s, there was the invention of the hydrogen bomb by Edward Teller from the principle of nuclear
fusion. Some more developments such as nuclear power generation for nuclear submarine and the nuclearpower aircraft carrier took place. In 1953, US President D. Eisenhower addressed the United Nations in his
Atoms for Peace speech. In this speech, he called for international co-operation in the development of nuclear
technology for peaceful purposes. At the same time, other countries such as Soviet Union, the UK, the USA,
France and Canada already started their civil nuclear program.
Now from here on, paper 2 and 3 will be merged while discussion.
Indias nuclear program: Three stages:

First Stage: Following Reactors

1. Boiling Water Reactor
2. Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor
3. Pressurized water Reactor
BWR:
In 1962, India signed an agreement with USA and got two BWR.
First installed reactor at Tarapore.
Light water as moderator and coolant
Enriched uranium as Fuel
What is Uranium Enrichment: UE is an artificial process in which the percentage of U-235 is enhanced and for
this purpose, centrifuges are used. Natural Uranium consists 99.3 % of U-238 which is not fissile material i.e not
suitable as fuel and 0.7 % of U-235, which is very fissile and used as fuel.
So it is required to convert it in maximum percentage for use.
On the basis of enrichment, uranium is of two types: Low Enriched Uranium and High Enriched Uranium
LEU: Enrichment is up to 5 % and it is used in nuclear reactor: Under Indo-US nuclear deal, India will get HEU:
Weapon grade up to 90%
PHWR:
Also known as CANDU- Canadian Deuterium Uranium
Heavy water as moderator and coolant
Natural uranium as fuel
Majority of Indias working reactor are this
PWR:
Light Water Reactor
Light water as the moderator and coolant
Enriched uranium as fuel
USP is safety mechanisms incorporated in them
Belong to Generation III +
India is having PWR from Russia and France
VVER: Voda Voda Energy Reactor from Russia
Second stage: Only one type of reactor
Fast Breeder Reactor:
First at Kalpakkam in TN

Uses Pu-239 as fuel and u-238 is converted into Pu-239

Also known as Fast Neutron Reactor
No moderator
Coolant is liquid Na
Third Stage:
AHWR: Advanced Heavy Water Reactor: BARC is developing
Fuel is U-233 but it will use Thorium to make U-233, so very important
Light water as coolant
Heavy water as moderator
Indias Nuclear Tests: 1974 and 1998
Policies:
Indias Nuclear Doctrine: Google it please
Institutions: I think I already mentioned them above. Kindly have a look on their functioning and mandate like how
they formed and what are the constitutional or other provisions on which they formed. Means are the
constitutional Bodies or Statutory or Autonomous?
Bill:
Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill, 2011
In the backdrop of Fukushima disaster, Indian Parliament came up with Nuclear Safety Regulatory Authority Bill
for legal framework regarding nuclear safety.
I am not covering the whole bill but mentioning the issues only.
Setting up of NSRA subsumes Atomic Energy Regulatory Board
This AERB is not autonomous. DoAE supervises over this board and include Atomic energy Commission.
This commission is headed by Secretary, DoAE and it also supervises NPCIL.
This is the conflicting issue because the same person is heading the affected (AERB) and the affecting
(NPCIL) agencies.
Public Account Committee report on AERB
It gave its report on two important issues: First on the working of AERB and second on the re-examination of
NSRA bill. It recommended providing autonomous status to AERB.
Civil Liability on Nuclear Damage Act, 2010:
Now here comes the killer. I am connecting whole international and national scenario at one place in story form.
Hope you people like this.
In 1962, India signed an agreement with USA. Under the deal, General Electric, agreed to supply two boiling
water reactor under the condition of grant of exemption on the liability of operator. India happily granted as it was
craving for nuclear reactor.
In 1965, same deal with Canadas AECL to get PHWR. India was happily using these reactors when a watershed

moment in Indian history occurred.

Nuclear Test, 1974: Smiling Buddha (Why this name?)
Three tests were conducted and all were fission device. The outcome of this nuclear test was formation of Nuclear
Supplier Group (NSG), and America and Canada cancelled their deal with India. In this backdrop, USSR came as
savior and provided heavy water reactor to India.
In 1988, Inter-Governmental Agreement was signed between India and USSR, whereby USSR agreed to provide
two VVER. The same exemption clause was put by them and India again very happily .
In 1992, NSG adopted the Full Scope Safeguard mechanism and it wanted Russia to bring the agreement with
India under this. But Russia refused to do it as it was retrospective in nature.
In 1988, a Supplementary Agreement was signed between India and Russia for Kudankulam reactors.
(Exemption again )
When India conducted Nuclear Test of 1998, Operation Shakti, new sanctions were imposed on it and Wests
even narrated its failure. There comes the full agreement between Russia and India for conduction of Nuclear
reactors.
Nuclear Test 1998:
This test differs from test of 1974. How?
Five tests: Four like previous test but one was thermonuclear device
123 Agreement: ( why it is called 123? )
In 2005, India and USA signed the historic deal (123 agreement) and the same year, Russia agreed to provide six
VVER each of 1000 MW capacity at Kudankulam. Like previous agreements , this time also, exemption was
granted.
The same time India engaged with IAEA for entering into Safeguard Mechanism, under which Indias civil nuclear
program would be placed under IAEA watch.
Hyde Act: This legally enabled the resumption of civil nuclear energy cooperation of NSG members with India.
Before US firm could step to India for business, India enact Civil Nuclear Liability Act, 2010. There is one section
called 17(b) which says: Also called Right to Recourse
If there is any patent or latent defect in the equipment, then operator can sue the supplier to the extent of 1500
crores.
Now the bone of contention lies in section 17(b): The uniqueness of this section is that for the first time in national
or international law, suppliers liability has been demarcated. Nowhere before, such liability came into being.
Stand of USA:
According to USA, the provision in this section is against its domestic and international conventions. These
provisions are: Price-Anderson Act, 1957, Paris Convention-OECD, 1960 and Vienna Convention IAEA,1963.
All the above three contains a common provision which prescribes: Liability of Operator as Absolute or Liability is
exclusively channelized to the operator.
These provisions are in direct conflict with Indian law and USA argue that with these conditions its firm will not
come for business and it will harm the Indian nuclear commerce
Russian Stand:
You cannot apply a law with retrospective effect.
In the agreements of 1988 and 2005, specific exemptions were given
The compensation to be paid by supplier is not structured
If these reactors (3,4,5,6) are brought under the liability law then, Russian would go for cost-restructuring.

Indian Stand:
The international laws were made when developed countries already had such technological advancement
and at that time the proliferation of nuclear trade was not like in contemporary times. No law is Gods law
and old laws should be inclusive as per current scenario. Such laws are required taking into consideration
the escalating trade among nations and domestic laws of developing nations should also be looked with
equity at par with developed nations and international conventions.
For larger public good and inclusive development, it is required to have liability on both, operator and
supplier.
Section 17(a) and (c) adheres to international commitments and section 17(b) is the need of current
scenario.
Civil Nuclear Authorities advocates no dilution in this section and Supreme Court also advised to make it
inclusive.
But the question is how?
What is the way ahead?
This tussle is adversely affecting Indias dire need of nuclear energy and nuclear commerce. India should
restructure its policy to include maximum scope to provide thrust to nuclear negotiations. Some of these hurdles
can be avoided by providing for contractual provisions by which the Indian operator provides timely feedback to
the supplier in relation to the functioning of a component that doesnt suffer from Patent or Latent defect.
Indigenization of technologies with ample support from funding may prove to be beneficial for India in longer run.
Then, India has huge resource of Thorium, which is to be used in Indias third generation nuclear reactor to be
completed by BARC. India needs to expedite its process of completion so as retain self sufficiency and less
scope for dependency on international market.
Moreover Indias Fast Breeder Reactors are purely indigenous. FBR uses plutonium-239 as fuel and convert it
into U-238 to be processed further. These reactors act as a connecting link in the nuclear reactor program of
India. They consume the fuel produced in the first stage and produce fuel for themselves and then are capable of
converting Th-232 into U-233 to be used as fuel for third stage.
This capability could prove an asset for Indias third generation nuclear program and would make it more self
reliant in time to come.
Another staunch area is Nuclear Fusion based Reactors:
India is already a member in ITER program of EU. From India, Institute of Plasma Research, Ahmadabad and
SAHA Institute of Nuclear Physics represent ITER. India should work actively for fusion based nuclear reactor as
it would be the energy of future.
ITER is very important for this year mains as it was in news few months back. Two things need to be
remembered.
First ITER and its principle and second, LASER based fusion. Please google it.
Some questions:
1. What are the institutional set ups of Indian nuclear program? How far you agree with restructuring of the
same?
2. Critically examine the nuclear program of India.

3. After Fukushima disaster, there were numerous uproar against the nuclear reactor set up at Kudankulam.
What are the safeguard mechanisms incorporated to make nuclear reactors free of any disaster? Discuss
in the backdrop of SC verdict.
4. The path of sustainable development focuses on nuclear fusion. Critically comment
5. Trace the development in the field of Nuclear Energy based on Fusion. What role Indian institutions play in
this?
6. Compare and contrast the nuclear tests of India.
7. Indias nuclear policy points towards time and tested diplomacy. Do you agree? Give your views
8. Indias nuclear energy development is governed by resource constraints. Comment.
9. Fast Breeder Reactors are acting as connecting links for Indias nuclear program. Elaborate
10. The tests of 74 and 98 led to different developments. Comment
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