An Australian Parliamentary Committee has given a cautious go ahead to its government to export uranium to India by listing a set of conditions including setting up of an independent nuclear regulator in this country, separation of Delhi's civil and military nuclear facilities and allowing safety inspections for transfer of yellow cake, exactly an year after the two sides signed historic civil nuclear deal.
As Delhi and Canberra hopes to conclude administrative arrangements by year-end for transferring uranium from Australian mines to Indian nuclear reactors the Australian Parliamentary committee's recommendations could further delay actual supply of yellow cake.
The Australian Parliament's Treaties Committee recently tabled a report in the House on the uranium deal with India, cautiously favouring it but with few recommendations including that India should be encouraged to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The report has for the first time discussed several issues including the uranium export to a nation which is not party to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).
India is not a signatory of the NPT nor CTBT and has no intentions of signing as Delhi considers them discriminatory in nature.
Australian High Commission spokesperson in Delhi while sounding optimistic reacted cautiously to the development. "The Australian Government notes the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties (JSCOT) finds the Australia-India nuclear cooperation agreement takes a "prudent and balanced approach" to dealing with the supply of uranium to India," the spokesperson told ET.
Bringing the agreement into force and making it possible for exports to go ahead are priorities for the Government, the spokesperson said, adding, the Australian Government will examine the findings of JSCOT, which has conducted a rigorous review of the agreement signed before Prime Ministers Modi and AbbottBSE 1.34 % last year, and respond as soon as possible.
Eyeing to prevent Australian uranium to be used in nuclear weapons, the committee has made six recommendations. It has recommended that the bilateral treaty only be ratified if India manages to achieve the full separation of civil and military nuclear facilities, and that the country establishes a new, fully independent, nuclear regulatory body. It also recommends the International Atomic Energy Agency verify that inspections of India's nuclear facilities live up to international standards.
The merits of selling uranium to India were being examined by experts as part of the Treaties Committee's inquiry into the Government's proposal.
The report said Australia must commit to "significant diplomatic resources to negotiate a fissile material cut-off treaty."
The report, however, noted that uranium sales to India would boost Australia's uranium mining industry and mining industry in general. "To begin with, the quantum of uranium involved could easily double the size of the uranium mining industry in Australia, bringing significant export revenue, and business and employment opportunities at a time when commodity prices for other mining exports are slowing the pace of growth in Australia's mining industry," it said.
"For India, the significance of the proposed Agreement is possibly even greater. As an emerging world power with a considerable shortfall of generating capacity, nuclear powered electricity generation will grow as one of a number of generating sources selected because of their low carbon emissions," the report noted.
Australian authorities estimate India's uranium import could grow up to 2,000 tonnes a year, valued at 200 million dollars. Australia holds about a third of the world's recoverable uranium resources, and exports nearly 7,000 tonnes a year.
According to Chair of the Australian Uranium Council, Mark Chalmers, India is going to need "a lot" of uranium. "Australia can certainly increase its uranium production, probably two or threefold from what it's currently producing. Maybe even more than that."
Source:economictimes.indiatimes.com
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