Related: India to put civilian nuclear facilities under IAEA safeguards

    NEW DELHI, March 7 (Xinhuanet) -- India has put 14 out of its 22 nuclear thermal power reactors in the civilian list, said the statement made Tuesday by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the detailed separation plan of its nuclear facilities.

    The 14 reactors will be placed under international safeguards by 2014, which will raise the total installed nuclear thermal power capacity under safeguards from 19 percent right now to 65 percent in next eight years, the statement said.

    The Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR) and the Fast Breeder Test Reactor (FBTR), which had been a major difference between India and the United States about the separation plan, will not be put under international safeguards. The two reactors, located at Kalpakkam of south India's Tamil Nadu, are still on research and development.

    The Indian government had not released the detailed separation plan of its civilian and military nuclear facilities till Tuesday. It finalized the plan with the United States when U.S. President George W. Bush visited India on March 2.

    According to the plan, India has decided to place all future civilian thermal power reactors and civilian breeder reactors under international safeguards but has the right to determine these reactors are civilian or not.

    "This means that India will not be constrained in any way in building future nuclear facilities, whether civilian or military, as per our national requirements," Singh said in the statement.

    India has decided to permanently shut down one reactor named CIRUS in 2010 and shifted another reactor Apsara, bought from France, from its present location so that it will be available for safeguards in 2010.

    Both the two reactors are located at the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), which is a nuclear facility of high national security importance. The Indian government did it to avoid inspections into BARC, Singh said.

    The reprocessing and enrichment capabilities and other facilities associated with the fuel cycle have been kept out of the Separation Plan, he added.

    "We have received commitments from the United States for the reliable supply of fuel to India for reactors that will be offered for safeguards," Singh said.

    The United States plans to join India in seeking to negotiate with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) about an India-specific fuel supply agreement, the statement said.

    And it will also support India to develop a strategic reserve of nuclear fuel.

    India also plans to talk with the IAEA about an India-specific safeguards agreement, Singh said.

    India and the United States signed an agreement of overall cooperation of nuclear energy in July last year. The United States promised to push its Congress to amend domestic laws and to work on changing the Nuclear Suppliers Group policies so that India will have full access to the international market for nuclear fuel. In return, India agreed to separate its civilian and military nuclear facilities and put the civilian ones under the safeguards of the IAEA.

    The deal has roused great concerns for it might set up a bad example for other countries since India has refused to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty.

    Singh said in the statement that the separation plan will not affect India's national security since it did not restrict India from building new facilities for "strategic purposes" and will not affect the research and development activities in nuclear field. Enditem