New Delhi: In a bid to clear the decks for the supply of imported fuel for its nuclear power plants, India is set to complete the process of placing its civilian reactors under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards in the next few days.
Government sources said that last lot of the two reactors Units 1 and 2 of Narora Atomic Power Station in UP’s Bulandshahar will go under IAEA safeguards in “the next two days and the paperwork is under process.”
This development comes ahead of US President Barack Obama’s visit to India next month.
So far 20 such Indian facilities have already gone under IAEA safeguards. This includes Units 1 and 2 of Tarapur, Units 1 to 6 of Rajasthan Atomic Power Station, Units 1 and 2 of Kudankulam and Units 1 and 2 of Kakrapar Atomic Power Station. These plants will then be eligible to use imported uranium.
New reactors that will come up with foreign collaboration will automatically be placed under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.
Besides these, the Nuclear Material Store, Away from Reactor (AFR) Fuel Storage Facility, both at Tarapur, the uranium oxide plant, ceramic fuel fabrication plant, enriched uranium fuel, enriched uranium oxide plant, enriched fuel fabrication plant and the Gadolinia facility all in the Nuclear Fuel Complex in Hyderabad have been placed under the IAEA safeguards.
Under the Indo-US civil nuclear cooperation agreement, India was to sign and ratify the Additional Protocol of the IAEA. A separation plan was chalked out after the deal, segregating the military and civilian reactors.
The civilian reactors were to be placed under the IAEA safeguards by December 2014, which enables India to use the much-needed imported fuel.
Incidentally, before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States in September last year, India had ratified the Additional Protocol with the IAEA in June this year.
