NEW DELHI: Pakistan is likely to purchase a nuclear power plant from France.
Discussions between the two countries are continuing on the subject, the “Frontier Post” newspaper reported quoting official sources.
According to the report, Pakistan would agree to put the nuclear reactor under the safeguards specified by the Vienna based International Atomic Energy (IAEA) in case the talks were fruitful and the unit was purchased.
Once acquired, the plant could be located wherever Pakistan wished to operate it.
In 1982, Pakistan had floated an international tender for purchase of a light water nuclear reactor. At that time it was proposed to be located at Chashma and was expected to generate 900 mw of power.
900 MW Nuclear Reactor
No response was, however, received for the plant from international manufacturers.
Reports have been circulating for some time now that Pakistan was likely to avail of the pending renewed conditional offer by France for supply of a 900 mw nuclear reactor.
The condition reportedly imposed by the French is that Pakistan surrenders all legal, financial and political claims against France for the latter’s failure in the late 1970’s to supply a contracted reprocessing plant.
Pakistan had been insisting that it would like to have simultaneous negotiations for the proposed nuclear reactor planned for construction at Chashma and compensation for the reprocessing plant.
Although Pakistan did not accept the French offer, negotiations never broke down and have been continuing every few weeks. The French deal for the reprocessing plant was “unilaterally cancelled” by France, Pakistan took the matter to court and claimed compensation for the cancellation of the deal.
Pakistan had so far put its foot down on withdrawing the claim for the reprocessing plant on the plea that negotiation for the nuclear reactor may take a very long time.
Pakistan had reportedly taken the stand that if a contract for the supply of the nuclear reactor could be concluded early, it was willing to withdraw the claim to the reprocessing plant.
Though the “Frontier Post” report does not specify at what stage the negotiations were and what the deal would be the revelation that the reactor would be placed under IAEA safeguards indicated that a significant advance may have been made.
France had reportedly agreed to supply the reactor even without Pakistan signing the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) as long as the plant is placed under IAEA safeguards.
Pakistan’s contract with France for a reprocessing plant ran into trouble in 1977 when the formers nuclear ambitions surfaced.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 24, 1989
