China-Pakistan N-deal: Why India is worried

[bananas]

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/china-pakistan-n-deal-why-india-is-worried-33078

China-Pakistan N-deal: Why India is worried
NDTV Correspondent, Updated: June 21, 2010 22:45 IST

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Why is India so worried about two nuclear reactors for Pakistan?

Government sources say they are concerned that this will free up Pakistan's resources for two plutonium reactors they have built at Khusab in Punjab. Plutonium is what is to used to make bombs. Infact, even the Americans have serious concerns that the technology could be diverted for weapons, given Islamabad's poor proliferation record.

China has argued that the proposal pre-dates their entry to the NSG in 2004, something they have conveyed to India in the past. But officials here are not convinced. So, with one eye on the NSG, the government sources say they will raise the issue with China at a high level very soon.

India has also sounded out various NSG members on its concerns. It's not clear what the NSG will do. India is hoping that they don't buckle under the pressure of Beijing's clout.

[kristopher]

1. Kick and recommend

The nuclear option: size of the challenges
• If world electricity demand grows 2%/year until 2050 and nuclear share of electricity supply is to rise from 1/6 to 1/3...

–nuclear capacity would have to grow from 350 GWe in 2000 to 1700 GWe in 2050;

– this means 1,700 reactors of 1,000 MWe each.

• If these were light-water reactors on the once-through fuel cycle...
---–enrichment of their fuel will require ~250 million Separative Work Units (SWU);
---–diversion of 0.1% of this enrichment to production of HEU from natural uranium would make ~20 gun-type or ~80 implosion-type bombs.

• If half the reactors were recycling their plutonium...
---–the associated flow of separated, directly weapon - usable plutonium would be 170,000 kg per year;
---–diversion of 0.1% of this quantity would make ~30 implosion-type bombs.

• Spent-fuel production in the once-through case would be...
---–34,000 tonnes/yr, a Yucca Mountain every two years.


Conclusion: Expanding nuclear enough to take a modest bite out of the climate problem is conceivable, but doing so will depend on greatly increased seriousness in addressing the waste-management & proliferation challenges.

Mitigation of Human-Caused Climate Change
John P. Holdren

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2. kick. nt