Govt: Uranium shortage has hit N-power plants (India)

[jpak]

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Govt_Uranium_shortage_has_hit_N-power_plants/articleshow/3008504.cms

NEW DELHI: The government has finally admitted that Indiaâ's nuclear power plants are operating below capacity, and with declining profits.

Answering a question in Parliament last week, the government said, "Currently, there is a mismatch in the demand and supply of indigenous uranium. As a result, this capacity is being operated at lower power level, matching fuel supply."

This, the government said, had led to declining profits for Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL). NPCIL profits have declined from Rs 1,717 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 964 crore in 2007-08. The capacity utilization of the power plants too have reduced significantly from their previous 63% and in many cases are at 40% or less.

The uranium shortage is also a real problem and with the nuclear deal increasingly facing a bleak future, India’s uranium options are severely restricted.

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[aquart]

1. Is this a bad thing?

[bananas]

2. Impossible! Uranium is abundant in the earth's crust!

And seawater, too!
All they have to do is dump some dirt and seawater in the reactor,
and everything will be fine!

[formercia]

3. I wonder if the Russians like Mangoes.

Junior was willing to trade Uranium for Mangoes.

I think they're running their reactors to optimize the production of Plutonium, thus the lower capacity.

[losthills]

4. Peak uranium?

That can't be!
What about all those perfectly good spent fuel rods and all the abundant uranium in sea water?

[formercia]

5. Spent fuel rods

used to extract Plutonium but require a different reactor technology to use it. The Japanese are building MOX reactors that use the spent fuel and generate more Plutonium.

As I said in a previous post, I think they are running their reactors below capacity to optimize the production of Plutonium and this story is just a cover for that activity.

[jpak]

6. Yup - and Bush's Nukes-4-Mangoes scam will only aid and abet India's n-weapons program

n/t

[losthills]

7. I'm glad someone gets the connection

between nuclear energy and nuclear weaponry...

[excess_3]

8. $65 a pound is unreasonable?

how cheap is cheap enuf?