published by WISE News Communique on February 12, 1996

Brazil, India thorium agreement discussed


Brazil and India discussed an agreement on the use of thorium as nuclear fuel in the last week of January 1996. Fernando Henrique Cardoso, president of Brazil was in India to negotiate the agreement. He is concerned that international opinion has been critical of India's keen interest in the nuclear bomb. Both India and Brazil have not signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

(446.4426) WISE-Amsterdam - Brazil and India are the world's largest and second largest producers of thorium, respectively. Brazil is interested in Indian advances in processing thorium. For India, the agreement would mean support for its development of the nuclear industry.

India is following a three-stage route to nuclear energy self-sufficiency, in which the acquisition of fast breeder technology constitutes the last part. In the first phase, the country will exploit enough fuel to install around 15,000 MW annually using pressurised heavy water reactors. The second phase will involve the use of plutonium produced by the pressurised heavy reactors as fuel for fast-breeder reactors once the uranium resources dwindle. In the third phase, the more plentiful thorium will be used to fuel the fast-breeder reactors.

The agreement with Brazil would give India the chance to continue its nuclear program with the use of pressurised heavy water reactors as well as fast-breeder technology. India continues to work on its fast-breeder program even though the program has had a lot of problems from the beginning and has involved enormous costs.

Sources:

Contact: Anumukti, Sampoorna Kranti Vidyalaya, Vedchhi 394 641, India.
Tel: +91-2625-2074
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