Forgetting Fukushima: India Pursues Massive Nuclear Expansion

[sysop]

The 2011 disaster at Japan's Fukushima plant led many countries to turn away from nuclear power. But a growing population and rising economy has prompted India to massively expand its nuclear program -- even in the face of technological worries and fervent opposition.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...-a-868662.html

[lsasmh@yahoo.com]

India will fail in its nuclear expansion plans because :
(1) Japan refuse to export nuclear technologies to India
unless it ratifies the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty and the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.
Americans can not export nuclear reactors to India
because they contain Japanese technologies

(2)India has trouble borrowing money because of its bad
credit rating( BBB-, one notch above junk status),
persistent annual trade deficit and budget deficit.
India is paying over 8% on its 10-year bonds.

(3)India's national debt is approaching fast towards 100% of
GDP.
(4) Nuclear liability laws

India has failed in its plan to build hundreds of coal-powered plants because of some of the reasons above
and :
(1) India does not produced enough coal. Many of Its
coal-fired power plants operate below full capacity. By
contrast, China produces about 3.5 billion tons of coal
per year.

[venze]

Undoubtedly, energy hungry India needs abundant cheaper energy desperately. However, it has to weigh the pros and cons of building more "safe" nuclear plants carefully before embarking on the drastic project, lest too late to regret later. (btt1943, vzc1943)

[powermeerkat]

DS: "But it's a deceptive paradise.

A few kilometers to the southwest, the new Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant, built with Russian technology, towers over the haze."




Indeed, relying on on Soviet-era technology after Chernobyl disaster is a scary choice.

But if Indians, (and Japanese) had chosen instead Westinghouse's passively cooled reactors they would never have a major problem.

That's why Chinese leaders have opted for a dozen of the latter.

[powermeerkat]

"Before the frustrated intruders left, say villagers, they urinated in the church and desecrated a statue of the Virgin Mary."





While Angela Merkel, a physicist by trade, reversed herself to increase her chances next November and ordered all atomic power plants closed.

Thus making Germany even more dependent on Russian gas and vulnerable to KGB gen. Putin's blackmail.

[come harsh winter]

[powermeerkat]

"India currently needs foreign uranium to power its reactors."



Australia and Canada have megatons of yellow cake for sale.

And cheaply.

As a matter of fact price of uranium ore fell so low in the last 2 decades that Canada has shut down some of its mines, since their operations could not be economically justified.



Btw. After decades of ignorance-based paranoia (NIMBY), U$A has started to build new atomic power plants as well.

Belatedly, mind you, but better late than never.

[powermeerkat]

Arundhati Roy, the novelist and political activist, says that the government lacks the know-how needed to safely operate nuclear power plants. "
+++++




So militarize them.

If Indian military was able to develop working nuclear warheads without any accidents, it should be capable of running safely atomic power plants which use uranium-235 enriched to merely 4%. [hardly a weapon-grade stuff]

[govindappa]

Spiegel would do well to recollect that Japan itself has reverted to Nuclear Power having faced Fukushima disaster, if you further go back in History - Japan is the only country which was at the receiving end of a Nuclear Bomb in 1945. Still Japanese are not as paranoid as Germans, they seem to have an eye on rationality, reality and business viability. If Germany doesn`t want Nuclear power - it is absolutely fine, it is well within its rights to do so. Can Germany stop its neighbours from pursuing Nuclear power like France? What if those Nuclear plants are located right next to German borders? Will it be able to escape a Fukushima like accident emanating from across the border? would not high energy costs compromise legendary German competitiveness? It seems Germany is living a make-believe world with high ideological dosage with an absolute aim of removing Nuclear energy from the face of earth - isn`t that far too naive?

[ma4cma4c]

India should go for it.
Forget Fukushima.
A 9.03 magnitude earthquake off Japan killed over 18,000 people and destroyed 200,000 homes. It also damaged several nuclear reactors. It seems as far as the western media is concerned only the reactors count.
Fatalities: Tsunami 18,000, Reactors nil.

[titus_norberto]

The American dualistic approach to world “responsibility” is evident in this case…

India did not signed the non-proliferation treaty BUT USA sells sensitive technology and grants “carte blanche” to India’s projects for a very simple reason, India is pitted against China and Pakistan as a military counterbalance.

Like Mister Hyde, USA shows in India its monster face, it does not give a fig about Indian population safety which is in clear danger since anyone with some experience working with Indian people knows how they like to take short-cuts…

An accident is a matter of time…

USA believes, or believes that we believe, that they can get Scott-Free by insisting that American technology will not be used for military purposes and it will be dully assigned to generation of energy…

Well, they are wrong !

On the other hand, India is a fierce defender of her sovereignty and she is in population a trillion plus nation thus, who will bell this cat ?

On the worshipers of world government...

Norberto