Nuclear Power Cooperation with India

ByRod Adams

On July 18, 2005, President Bush met with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at the White House. The leaders announced several new areas of cooperation including commercial nuclear power. This is the first time since 1978 that the United States government has allowed nuclear technology sharing with India, the world’s most populous democracy. The chill began when India conducted a test nuclear explosion using material removed from a testing reactor.

India is a rapidly growing country with substantial energy needs. Though it has large coal supplies, it is one of the world’s largest oil and gas importers. In 2000, The Times of India reported, “OPEC is in the news again as the world holds its breath wondering whether output will be increased and oil prices decline from the current level of around $30 per barrel. Meanwhile, the oil import bill in India as in other major oil-importing countries, is straining the economy, with global oil prices having almost trebled in the past two years.” Yesterday, the Nymex crude oil index closed at $57.10 per barrel, a level that is causing even more straining, especially since India’s oil consumption continues to increase.

India has been working (on and off again) for more than 15 years on a complex natural gas pipeline deal to enble it to buy gas from Iran. That deal requires cooperation with Pakistan, its neighbor and longtime enemy. Here are some articles that have been published over the years about that deal:

The country has been working on developing its nuclear power industry for more than forty years. India has developed an indigenous Pressurized Heavy Water Reactor (PHWR) design and has several projects in progress. Its first 540 MWe PHWR at Tarapur, Haharashtra achieved initial criticality in March, 2005. India also has the world’s second largest deposits of thorium, which can be used as fuel in fission reactors.

The nuclear power cooperation deal with America will play an important role in continuing to diversify the Indian energy supply system away from dependence on imported oil and gas.

Rod Adams
Rod Adams

Rod Adams is Managing Partner of Nucleation Capital, a venture fund that invests in advanced nuclear, which provides affordable access to this clean energy sector to pronuclear and impact investors. Rod, a former submarine Engineer Officer and founder of Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., which was one of the earliest advanced nuclear ventures, is an atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience. He has engaged in technical, strategic, political, historic and financial analysis of the nuclear industry, its technology, regulation, and policies for several decades through Atomic Insights, both as its primary blogger and as host of The Atomic Show Podcast. Please click here to subscribe to the Atomic Show RSS feed. To join Rod's pronuclear network and receive his occasional newsletter, click here.

Similar Posts

  • Do Nuclear Advocates Need to "Get Over" Themselves?

    ByRod Adams

    There is a thoughtful discussion going on at The Energy Collective about Robin Carey’s advice to nuclear advocates titled Message to the Nuclear Industry: Get Over Yourselves. As is often the case, Robin confuses the issue a bit by addressing “the nuclear industry” but then talking more about the activities of nuclear fission technology advocates…

  • Deutsche Bank analysts think uranium mining is a good business

    ByRod Adams

    Here is another signal that the investment bankers are taking a fresh, hard look at the prospects for the nuclear power industry and finding that there are a number of reasons to get involved. According to an article titled Another Investment bank Joins the Uranium Bulls FNArena – a self described supplier of financial, business,…

  • President Ahmadinejad of Iran Asserts His Country's Nuclear Rights

    ByRod Adams

    This afternoon (September 17, 2005) President Ahmadinejad of Iran spoke emphatically to the United Nations, telling the assembled body that his country had a right to use nuclear energy. He also stated what should be obvious to any careful observer – though his country currently exports oil, it will not last much longer. The New…

  • John Fees Announcing mPowerTM

    ByRod Adams

    During a press conference held on June 10, 2009 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, John Fees, CEO McDermott International, introduced the mPowerTM modular reactor and described its potential for making a positive impact on American job creation, manufacturing strength, and clean energy development.

  • Project Dilithium – Boldly going back to a place our ancestors visited and prematurely abandoned

    ByRod Adams

    In January 2019, the Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) of the U.S. Department of Defense officially informed the world that it was interested in learning more about small, mobile, nuclear generators. The SCO said it wanted to find out if there was technology available that could supply a forward operating base with abundant, emission-free electricity for…