Canadian Horn Supplying India With Nukes (Dan 7:7)

After a pause of four decades, India to receive nuclear fuel supply from Canada in autumn 2015

15 Jun, 2015, 0400 hrs IST, Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury, ET Bureau
NEW DELHI: India is expected to start receiving nuclear fuel from Canada in autumn this year to power its atomic power plants, marking resumption of supply more than four decades after the North American country suspended supply of yellowcake in the backdrop of Pokhran-I atomic tests by India in 1974.
Senior officials of Cameco, Canada’s leading and one of the world’s largest uranium producers, visited India last week to discuss modalities for supplying nuclear fuel to the country, officials said. This followed signing of the uranium supply agreement between the two countries during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Canada in April. “This is a concrete outcome of Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Canada this April. We are expecting first uranium supply later this year as part of the steady supply of nuclear fuel that has been agreed,” Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel told ET.
Patel said that tracking of nuclear fuel to be supplied will be carried out as per International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards as agreed by India and to the satisfaction of Canada. Canada will supply 3,000 metric tonnes of uranium to energy-hungry India under a $254 million five-year deal to power atomic reactors. Canada was the first country to complete the requirements for civil nuclear cooperation after India secured the unconditional waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) in 2008. Subsequently, India and Canada signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 2010. This was followed by the signing of an administrative arrangement in 2012.
Cameco has been holding commercial negotiations with Indian entities ever since for supply of uranium to fuel nuclear power plants in the country which has faced uranium shortage in the past.
Patel said the supply of uranium will be just one part of the comprehensive civil nuclear partnership. The Canadian civil nuclear trade mission to India in October will explore partnership for joint research and collaboration. This could include jointly producing civil nuclear reactors with Indian partners or setting up of nuclear reactors by Canadian companies, he said.
The high commissioner said Canada is positively viewing the clarification provided by India on the Nuclear Liability Law and Indo-US breakthrough on nuclear deal achieved during President Barack Obama’s trip to India.