INDIA: THE TARAPUR DISPUTE

Created: 7/23/1982

OCR scan of the original document, errors are possible

Casual viiial oa darlaa tar rlslt to mihir.ir.jn ovsr India's loatataadlat dlapsta tilth tha OS attar tha provision of dual tor tha Tarapat dtomto Ponrar Station. Oandbfa loearaat la taprortot tadla'a political ralattonahlp with tha OS, hat Siitn to iafluaaca OSoward Pakistan, aad bar apparaat ballot that Xodlaoaa-tarm technical altaraatlra to JS taol trill ovanlda Indian coneara that It "Hi hira nsei ap all aoallablo taal ba tha and ot aant vaat.

Ha baltaoa that Xadla rill coatlnea to obaarra lta satagaarda attaamaata oa tho Tarapat plaat orar tho aant gaar aad trill hold mat tha proapact ot eaatlaalaa aatafarir botoad that Una la aaebaofo tor OS aaaaptaaoa ot Ito plana to rataal Tarapat with tatlfaaoaolf prodaooc taal or with taal parohaaad tramthlid pmrtt. Imdla'a loaaat tatm abjection la to terminate lta bllatarai aaraamoot with tha PS aad tbarabi aad OS eomttol ft laoareae orar tho lodlaa oaelear program, ladla troald thwa praaaroe lta option to daralap 'peaeefml aaeioar amploalona' aad aaeapa OS preaawra to labal^all ot lta aaclaar facilities to lataraatloasl satooaatda. fM

Tha Tarapur

India sni tha Onltad lulu hava bean deadlockad alnca tharar tha aupply of foal for tba raactora at tha Tarapur Atoslc Powar station naae ftoabay. Tha Onltad Stataaihlpaanta of low0 aftar Indiaowith tht pro*ilion, of tha OS RUelaar Ron

Proliferation Act1 (MHPA). Thia law require* atatce. euch India, to accept eefeguardath. international Atopic Energy Agency (IAEA) on alland to provide aaaurancae to tha united Stateswill not develop nuclear explosive davlcaa aa conditionsua nuclear eaporta. India rejects the truth asOS atteapt toalid Internationalhas told tha United States that ae long ae it refusesnuclear turn I, India la not obligated tosafequarda. In abort, India Inalata onoption to develop -peaceful nuclear

By3 the Tarapur reactor* will have used up all available fuel stock* and, unless other lupply arrangsaents ars Bade, will be forced to shut down. ong shutdown would deptlve th* Bombay area of needed electricity and aabaraaa Prise Minister Candhi domestically a* well a* among otherhe Thl World which raapaot Indie'sroveas.

for Cooperation1 and the Spent Fuel "'rover*y

mm

The Agreement for Cooperation between th* United State* and India, algnednderllea th*o*. In th* Agreement, th* Dnlted State* pledged to fuel th* General Electric-bout twin reactor*arapur for thirty years. India agreed to ecc.pt eafeguarde on tbehalt fuel, their epent fuel, and any facility containing nuclear material sublect to tit* agreeaent.* India al*oto secut. prior consent frost th* Dnlted Statea before reprocessing spentur or using non-US-orlgln fuel in th* reactor*.

rilateral agreeaant algned1 *aong th* TAEA, India, and the United States ssalgned responsibilityeguards to the IAEA. 1 agreement provided thet the Dnlted Stete* would conduct safeguardsInspections until the IAEA wes prepared to assuae the taak.

* beocete controversial, of Indian nuclear official* and annual reports ofof Atomic Energy repeatedly note that Indiatoh* spent fuel froa Tarapur In orderof nuclear wast* and to produce plutonlusi forin brssder reactors, rhs PSET-HE (Power Kaactor plant near the Tarapur reactor* waa built for rh* Dnlted SCetee baa refused to give Ita priorreproceaalng of Tarapur epent fuel baoaus* reprocessingto stock* of plutonium that could be diverted tonuclear wespons

option

v la tha dapandancy. but

an Intacla aeaaoia

ight ba para-adad to alio- India tc pur.g. ion which .aqul.aa tha .nortaatlw- Ow

Mi. in ptlncipl., India la oppoaadotII

tnrloh It.

aactoia

conductine laaaateh

tSRi

would ba worth tha coat.

- Mb.o.

u-li. haa

ifrontatlon

ot tha Bhaoa Ha afaoannai da.ignad to thaurlna. tha Candhl vlalti

tloTo! Tha InO

confronting tbao.a. thael paler conaant topant '

that India willroc*ia Taiapur il atlla*t. If ftajaathan fual lawhich waa ll.aly, hllll will h* ablaaiulpaant haa baan elaanad and

taconfleuted to accapt It. India Infonad tha IAIA I* Kay that It lntand* to ahlpraactoro* Tarapur to tha tftnebacauaa tha Tarapur atoraga pond la naarlywill plac* tha aatarlal undar aafaguard.. Thla *ova ta daalqnad to undarllna what Indian official. Inpllad In tbalc atataaanta to OS dlplcaiata, that tha Onltad Itatai haa only tha right to ba Inforaaa ofntantlona to raprocaaa Tarapur foal, but not th* right of prior conaant. Ha ballava thatact, tha Onltad Stata* to aodlfy ortha IIS) agraaaant rathar than aaa India violate It. wLfk

Indian aa.artlona that tha ahlp**nta of Tarapur apant fual to pririut ara naadad to prowIda additional apaca In tha Tarapur apant fual pond cannot b* tachnlcally aibatantlatcd. laaad on tb*ofhat It would tata India only aii aontba to build anough atoraga apaca on alta to accoModata Tarapur'* aa*d* for aavaral yaara, Haaclalon to build aoch atoraga la unlikely bacauaa It would coaproelia India'* argueent* In tawor of raprocaa.ln*ully cloaadyci*. finally, according to publlihad Indian ee.lgn data, tha ntttZ plant la equipped to holdoall quantity of Tarapur typ* foaland ha*Mabla apacaa* ot tba ahlpaanu fro*atbaa.

Indli

-OS, and converting tha Tarapur rtactor* to accapt it. India would b* tb* flrat country toowar lu*lv*ly on thla hybrid fu*l. H* balUw* that at tb* Bhabh* Atoale Raaaarcb Cantar anglnaara would haw* to grappla withnd unfamiliar technicalhatolwad only

palnatatltvg experimentation.

Th*la attractive for political

chologleal uccea.ful progra* would booatq* at boa* and abroad by demonstrating thauclvar Independence and technological auparlorlty. Bacaut* Haw Delhi baa beaning to lnatltutaa prograa foryaara.own now wouldaabaraa-im|. 'jh

Outlook

WW

Tarapur daclalon

Da.plta tha aanyt*v* that Candhl la piaparad to make aoa* anort-tarw ocapioelaee on th* Tarapur queatlon and tha continuingol* In th* Indian nuclaar proqraw In ordar rowa ralatlona with th* united Stat... In nil ah* atatad prbllcly that tn* yarapur daclalon would ba taken wlthla tbaf| overall ralatlona with tha Onltwd Statea."

indian* leclded not

irlng tha oandhl vielt onound* that nothing would be gained by hlghllfhtlng the disagreement. ontll the pmpaf plant la reedy to reprocass tarapur fuel, india will reprocess bsjasthsn tool. india la prepaied to uie low enilched uranium troai another auppller oountry until the hqs ia ready. hew delhi will not challenge the tarn* of ita agreement with neshlrheplant le reedyandle tarapur fual.

deepit* tho air of calm over the tarapur laaue that india la currently projecting, the tin* for candhl to act la running oat. me believe that th* plant could continue operatlona until) by reusing prematurely dlacharged fuelbut atraction of ita rated capacity, because the epent fuel pond la nearly full, additional on-elt* storage space must be found or tbe reactor will have to be abut down,

me- believe that lew delhi will continue tobe tarepur leau*hat it can approach foreign eupplleie for help im overcoming the bottlenecks als*uino-the domestic

power

.

contact vaftra nc*. itelj. mnd'j-pan for equipment that indigenous industry has apparentlyunabl* to manufacturel* to required apeclficat ion*. by maintaining ita reputation for observing international agreements. india would nope to have the widest range of option* for procuring equipment and raplacsasnt fuel, if needed.

l*v*ndiaeaklngi

an orderly termination by mutual consent ot it* nuclesr cooperation agreesant with the united state* which would allow indl* to retain it* peaceful nuclear eiploalon option, avoid safeguard* on all of it* nuclear facllltlea, and proceed wltb ita preferred fuel cycle policies.

ds acceptance of reproceaalng of tarapur epent fuel underequerda and tbe eventual refueling of the reectora

indian-produced mliedi imder safeguard*.

ia order to achieve these objectives we believe thst th* candhl government will hold out tbe continuation of international safeguards ae th* reward for us *cc*ptanc* of tbe end of th* bilateral agreement and th* rsf-eling of tarapur with hoi in th* belief that the united state, will not want toamaging th* internationalonproliferetlon regime by Baaing indl*afeguards india baah* united stataa on safeguards queatlons by dealing directly with the lauon ue shipment ot terepurt fuel to th* prime plant.

Original document.

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