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| Bangladesh | |
| Bangladesh seeks India's help to set up nuclear reactor | |
| 2007-05-06 | |
Note: Indian 700MW reactors are clones of the Canadian CANDU design.. pressurized heavy water reactors that use natural (non-enriched) Uranium as fuel and D2O (heavy water) as moderator and coolant. CANDU units can be refueled while operating and the hexagonal core design is ideal for "low burnup" of about 1/8th of the fuel at the edges. This doesn't disrupt the power flux and produces large amounts of weapons grade Plutonium. As a bonus to the weapons maker, Tritium builds up in the coolant water and can be extracted cheaply
The Bangladesh Government had earlier approached a European nation for supplying nuclear reactors but later chose India as it was "closer to home", he said. "Talks are on at the Government level," Khan told PTI. The neighbouring country is facing a power shortfall of over 1,500 MW and hopes to meet the demand through alternative sources like atomic energy. Bangladesh's reserves of gas and coal have been its primary source of energy, but officials say these will run out within a few decades if they are used at the current rate. The BAEC hopes to generate at least 1,500 MW with nuclear plants it plans to build, Khan said. Khan, who was here to attend a conference on "Accelerator and Low Level Radiation Safety", said Bangladesh was expecting to procure 600 MW light water reactors from India. "We chose India as it is closer to Bangladesh, both culturally and geographically. We will have help at hand nearer than any European country," he said. Bangladesh has a nuclear programme that mostly caters to the requirements of the medical sector. Bangladesh had installed a three-megawatt research reactor at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Savar in 1986 for research and development activities and production of short-lived radio isotopes used in treating diseases like cancer. It is understood to have finalised a site to build a 600 MW nuclear reactor that is expected to cost about $1billion. After the completion of the first reactor, another could be set up at the same site with the same power generation capacity. Khan said, Bangladesh's hydro-power plants too were not generating power to their full capacity. With limited domestic fossil fuel reserves, nuclear power offered a proven and economically viable option for electricity generation, he said. Bangladesh's first nuclear power project was conceived in 1961, when the country was East Pakistan, and a site was selected in Rooppur on the basis of internationally accepted criteria and local requirements. Both before and after Bangladesh's liberation, subsequent Governments approved the nuclear power project and a number of international suppliers submitted proposals but these could not be implemented reportedly due to lack of funds. | |
| Posted by:John Frum |
| #2 India should build four or five new nuclear reactors in a horseshoe around Bangladesh, and wholesale power to the Bengalis. Bangladesh gets its power, but doesn't get any nuclear capability. India gets a means of control over Bangladesh should that nation become an islamic nation, with sharia laws and jihad. Bangladesh is broke and corrupt, and can't really afford nuke power plants. India is prosperous, and can - a perfect win-win situation. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2007-05-06 21:59 |
| #1 Any reason why India should help the Banglas? If they are too dumb to allow companies to drill for natural gas, why should they be entrusted with a reactor? |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2007-05-06 14:46 |