JPRS ID: 8610 WORLDWIDE REPORT NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT AND PROLIFERATION

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• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP82-00850R000100080011-0
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• Document Page Count: 38
• Document Creation Date: November 1, 2016
• Sequence Number: 11
• Content Type: REPORTS

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' AND PROL' i ~ATI ON

8 AUt3UST i979 CFOUO 21T9~ i OF i
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~'OIt OFF'SC 71~L US~ bNr,Y
JPRS L/8610
8 August 1979
Worldwide Re ort
p
~JUCLEA?R DEVELOPMENT AND PROLIFERATION
cFOUO 2~79~
,
FBIS FOREIGN BROADCAST INFORMATION SERVICE
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L' V~~ VL' L.L~.LCW ~J?J~./ V~~r+r
~ JPRS L/867.0
8 August 1.979
WORLDWIDE REPORT
NUCLEAR DEVELOPMENT AND PROLIF~RATION
(FOUO 2/79) -
CONTENTS PAGE
WORLDWIDE AFFAIRS
Canada Unhappy Over Candu CancellaCion by Japan
(MAINICHI DAILY NEW5, 6 Ju1 79) 1
ASIA
INDIA ~
Japanese Journalists Report on Indian Nuclear Program
. (Mitsuo Nagasawa; GENSHIRYOKU SANGYO SHIMBUN, 17 May 79). 3
.
JAPAN
LDP Committee Urges Nuclear Power Developntent
(ASAHI EVENING NEWS, 6 Jul 79) 6
Half of Japanese Public Approves of Nuclear Power
(ASAHI EVENING NEW~, 4 Jul 79) 7
MITI Seeks Share in Nuclear Reprocessing Company
(NIHON KOGYO SHIMBtJN, 6 Jul 79) 9
The Commission Decides ~.gainst Candu Reactors
(ASt~i~I EVENTNG NEWS, 6 Jul 79) 11
Candu Rejected as Inconsistent With Recycling Program
(Ichiro Fshibashi; SANKEI SHII~UN, 2 Jun 79) 12
May Poll Reports Attitudes on Ener83 Problem
(THE DAILY YOMIURIL 12 Jun 79) 13
- a - (III - WW - 141 FOUOJ
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r~uK ur r Lt; ~L uaG u~vL t _
CONTENTS (ConCinued) ~ p~~e -
Briefs
CFR~ Centrifuge 15
Heavy Water Technology 15
NEAR EA5'r AND NORTH AFRICA
IRAQ `
Other Sources Tapped for Nuclaar Power -
(THE MIDDLE EAST, Jul 79)....~ 16
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
NIGET. -
~ Uranium Mining Seen as Key to Overall Development
(MARCHES TROPICAt1X ET MEDITERRANEENS, 1 Jun 79).......... 18
~
Mining Economy: EssenCial
Importance of 'Uranium Road'
WFSTERN EUROPE
~
FRANCE
Launching of Nuclear Attack Submarine Delayed
(AIR & COSMOS~ 2 Jun 79) 33
~
.
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WORLDWIUE AFFAIRS
CANADA UNHAPPY OVER CANDU CANC~LLATION BY JAPAN
owo7ii53 Tokyo MAINICHI DAILY NEWS in English 6 ~u1 79 p 5 OW--FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
(Texb) The Canadian Uovernmenb is unhappy with bhe Atomie EnQrgy Commis33on~s expected
decision to suspend the introduction of Candu reuc~ors, acoording to informed sources.
The souraes said that Canada~s dissatisfaotion stems from the obseure reusons givan for
thc suspension.
Thc AGC is expected to announce the suspension bhis week. In turn~ the commiJUion will
call for commercialization of the domestically produced advanced thermAl reuctor.(ATR).
C,inadian Prime Minister Joe Clnrk, while 3n Tokyo for the recent Tokyo summit meeting~
sounded out Prime Minister Masayoshi Ohira~s intentions concerning the Candu. But Ohira �
refrained from making any firm commitments. This~ perhaps, attests to the ACC~s decision
to suspend thc introduction of the Canadian reactor.
If worcc comes to worst in this matter, the :,ources said, the present hart ~nious economic
i~~lation~ betiween the two nations could be disrupted.
The main reason why the AEC declded to suspend the introduction are the unsolved pi~oblems
concerning the disposal of spent fuel Prom the Canadian reactor. Japan could build re-
procecsing facilities of its own but Candu produce s four times as much ~pent nuclear fuel r
as thc current light water reactors. Such facilities would be gigantic and would cost a
grcat deal of money.
More importantly, if Japan introduces the Candu, the ATR, though produced domestically~
- would be considered to be a case ot application of Canadian nuclear technology under the
- Japan-Canada nuclear pact to be ratiPied at the next Diet session. This would give Can-
ada complete control over the Japanese ATR and hamper the commercialization of reactors.
On the other :iand,,the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and the: semi-
governmental Eleatric Ebwer Development Co supported the introduction of the Candu. The
two countries countered the AEC claim by saying that the reprocessing issue will not be
resolved by the light water reactors. It is unreasonable to emphasize the Candu reactor
when considering reprocessing facilities, they said.
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?
Canada, MITI said, is a ma,~nr suppl3er oP natitu�nl resources, sueh as lumbcr, ~o ,Tapan.
Jap~n imporb~ from ~ha~ aounbry ttbouti one-~hird of ~he na~ural uranium u~od by tihe
~owcr indusbry.
'i'he su~pension uf bhe Candu~s introductiun may dampen not only bhe two nation:,~
_ econom~,e relatiions but also ~oin~ pro,~ecbs, includin~ oil explortttion in bhe Arcbio.
Mr'i'C c~ressed ~hab long-~erm diplomacy should be con~idered in se~~ling ~he i3~ue of
~hc Cnndu~a intiroduobion.
COPYRIGHT: M~inichi Daily News, 1979 _
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' INDTA
- JAPANESE JOURNALISTS REPORT ON INDTAN Ht1CLEAR PROGRA,M
, Tokyo GENSHTRYOKU SANGYO SHIMBUN in Japaneae 17 M~y 79 p 6
[Article by (Mitsuo Nagasati+e,), deputy chieF, ASAHI SHI1~L~1 Science Department:
_ "Indiatt Nuclear Development Folloving an Indepmdent Line"~
[Excerpts] India is a developing country rrith a population
of 650 million people. India has extreme~}r great expectations
of science and technology. India Wants to use acience and
t,echnology aa a means to escape Prom poverty.
Recently, Mr Miteuo Nsgas ava, who is deputy chief oP the
science department at AS~A~iI SHI~UN's Tol~ro office, and two
other ~ournalists (chief of the science department Kimura
and ecience department member Akahito Oka) apent from 18
March to 10 April visiting government and reaearch entities
in India at the invite~tion oP the Indian Government, and
gathering information on the state of scientific and
technological development in Indie. �
The folloWing is the current atate oP India's develop~ent
of atomic poWer as seen by Mr Mitsuo Nagasa~ra.
On 18 May 197~+, India carried out an underground nuclear test "for peace2Li1 -
purposes." When asked Whether India would develop nuclear weapona in the
futui�e, India consistent~yr and strongly denied that it r~rould. P. N.
Kurishaamatei, the director of the Baaba Ata~ic Energy Research Center, says,
"It takes money to develop nuclear Weapons. F~rthermore, nucler~r weapons `
are useless rrithout missiles." This reporter intervieWed Counsellor M. A.
Beroc~y Who xorks directly o:. stomic energy matters Por the Indian Ministry of
Foreign APfairs in Nev Delhi. Mr Berody insisted that the underground teat
_ xas for peacetlil purposes.
Nevertheless, India hss taken the poaitian that India vill not become a party
to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Counsellor Barody gave India's
reasons for this as follarrs: " It is because the treaty is not equitable.
~he United States and the Soviet Union are trying to reatrain nuclear weapons
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Prom proliferating horizontally to othPr countriea, but Americd~ and Soviet
- vertical proliferation ia even more territying. We are, of course, opposed
to horizontal proliferation; but if We stop horizontal proliferation We should
also stop vertical proliferation at the same time."
India has concentrated on one natural uranium-heavy uater CANDU reactor ~rl,th
the l~dea of having a se1P-sufficient nuclear fuel cycle. At the Karupakamu
Ataanic Reactor Research Center, where India is developing a fast breeder test
ree~ctor (FBTR), the principa.t phyaicist C.B~kata~raaman talked logically about
India's couree.
He.said that ~he FBTR i.s under construction and the reacttor core will go in
after about 8 more moaths. The reactor will have mixed oxide fl,tel 02' 30 percent
plutonium and 7U percent uranium ti+hich has been enriched 58 percent and will
uae thorium oxide in its blanket.
Ittdia has natural uranium and fs operatin~ a heaw Water plant. It vill run
the CANDU reactor With thie. Then plutonium Will accumulate. India Will
extract this in India's ewn reprocessing plant and wiL1, use it in the FBTR.
The blanket in the FBTR will be Thorium 232 extracted i~om sand in Kerala
State. APter this becomes Uranium 233 by abaorbing neutrona it rri]1 be mixed
with plutonium aad uaed in the core of the FBTR as a aubstitute for enriched
uranium. Firial~j?, India vill complete a breeder reactor vhich will use uranium
233 in its core aad Thorium 232 as the blanket.
The Indiari Uranium Corporation mines and relines uranium in Jadan+aguda in
_ Bihar State. The uranium is processed into f~uel at the Hnc3ear I~el Complex
at Hyderbad in southErn Indid.
Heavy water is processed at the Nangaru Plant in Pun~ab State, vhich began
operating in 1962 and is capable of producing lk tons aanue~l.ly. In addition,
construction is under s+ay on the Kota pl,ant, ti+hich will produce 100 ton8 year]y,
the Barooda Plant, ~rhich will prodwce 67.2 tons, and the ToWachikorin Plant,
vhich ~+ill produce 71.3 tona per year. -
~
Reprocessing is already being done by the Tarapuru P1ant, vhich reproceases
spent flxel from the Tarapuru and Ra~asthan parrer atations. The Karupekamu
Reprocessing Plant is under construction.
Prospecting for uranium and thorium is done by the Atomic Minerals Department
of the Atomic F~nergy Ministry (headquartered in I~vderabad). The National
Geop2~ysical Reaearch Institute (also in Hyderbad ) slso�cooperates in.this
ePfort. The vork of extracting thorium from the saada of the seacoast of
Kerala State is done by the Indian Rere Earth Compa~r.
Prior to ca~pletion of the FBTR, the Karupakamu Atomic Reactor Research
Center has been ~rorking to master natrium. A 500-KW natrium loop is operating
and an electromagnetic floW meter and a sodium ionization detector have been
developed. High level facilities, such as an electron macroscope and a
hotlab which will stuc~y irradiated materials have been provided.
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While the thermal output of the FBTR wi11 be relatively ama11 at ~50,000 KW, =
turbine generatnrs have also been provided. Doctor Benkataraman said, "A11 -
at once we have built eomething so to apeak, midw$y bets+een the Rhapeady and -
- the Phoenix." In the rr~ords of principal deaign engineer S.R. Hara,n~ipe, "Tndia
has nov completed the first atsge oP the nuclear i't,iel cycle."
Alreac~y, it ie eaid, plana have been begun for a prototype 500,000-KW breeder -
reactor . =
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JAPAN
LDP COMMITTEE URCiES NUCLEAR POWER DEVELOPMENT
OWU71013 Tolryo ASAHI EVENING NEWS in F~glish 6 J1z1 79 OW--FOR OFFTCIAL USE ONLY
[Tex~~ The ruling Liberal Democra~ic pgrty~s commerce and industry commitbee worlced -
out Thursday the "outline of an internabional trade and industry policy." The policy
advocabes putt3,n~ the greab~::~t emphasis on the development of nuclear power as the most
reliable energy source other than oil. The oubline includes measures which the LDP `
wants to be incorporated i:i the budget for fiscal 1980.
Tb points out the urgency of developing coal lique�action techniques, nuclear power
and other energy alternatives. It proposes the creation of (1) a special law to
encourage the shift from petroleum to other energ*y sources; (2) an "alternative ener~y
a~ency:" (3) a special tax to secure funds to expedite the changeover to other ener~gy
:;ottrces; and (4) a special accounb for the energy switch.
~rti~ outlinc also calls for a special budget framework for ~he ncxt fiscal year to be
~,c~epai~ed ~o that more appropriations can be secured for the energy policy. The main
point:; are almost the same as those proposed by the Ministry of International Trade
and Cndu:,try.
Although the outline says that care must be taken to ensure the saPety oP nuclear power
gencration, it declares that nuclear energy is the most reliable alternative for the
time being. To encourage its development, it proposes: (1) the construction of a
:;econd spen~ nuclear fuel reprocessing plant and a model plan~ i'or extracting uranium
trom :,ea water so that a nuclear fuel cycle system can be created; (2) participation
- in the proposed international agreement to control plutonium; and (3) the faster
development of new power-generation reactors.
To securc a stable oil supply, it advocates getting supplies of crude oil from a
number of sources, expanding the development of overseas oil f ields, increasing GG
(government-to-~overnment) oil deals and boosting the amount of state oil reserves
1Y~om 10 million kiloliters to 30 million kiloliters.
COPYRIGHT: Asahi Evening News, 1979
CSO: 5100
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- JAPAN -
HALF OF JAPANE3E PUBLIC APPROVES OF NUCLEAR POWER -
OW051436 2bkyo ASAHI EVENING NEWS in English 4 J1z1 'jg p 1 OW--FOR OFFICIAL USE ONI:Y
lTexti] Half of the Japanese favor using r.uclear power as a source of energy in the
11,tbure, but they demand tha~ priority should be given bo safety, according ~o an opinion
poll conducted by the ASAHT SHII~UN.
The survcy a].so showed that 82 percent of the people ]mow abou~ thc Thrcc Milc Island
accidenb in the United Sbates in March and 67 percent fear hhat a similar accidenb
could happen in Japan. Nevertheless, more than 50 percent believe nuclear power can bc
made a safe energy source iri the Cuture if reliable technology and control systems are
devclopcd. The ~urvey was conducted on JLuze 12-13.
The maJor~ity of the pcople are s~ill very anxious about bhe development o� nuclcar enerF;y.
Nearly 60 percent of bhe pollees said they feel fearful when they hear ttie word "nuclcai~
power," but the surv~y shows tha~ young people are beginning to favor nuclear power as
an energy source.
Electricity generated by nuclear power stations now accounts for only aboub 10 perce~itr
of the total, about the same ratie as for hydroelectricitf. I,ess than 30 percent of the
pcople polled bhink the rate is surprisingly low, and 60 percent do not think so.
Ftfty percen~ approve nuclear development and 29 percent are opposed, but to the ques-
tion "would you allow the construction of a nuclear power plant near your home?" only
18 percent replied "yes" and 67 percent answered "no."
The percentage of people against~ the use oP nuclear energy was higher in the latest
survey bhan in the previous poll last Decenber. In the December poll, 55 Percent favored
nuclear power as a future energy source and 23 percent were against it. In the
December survey, 23 percent said they would approve the bl!ilding o� a nuclear plant
ncar their homes and 60 percent said they would oppose it. The Three Mile Island
incident in March has apparently af�ected people~s opinions.
Fifty-trro percent believe nuclear power can be developed as a safe energy source, but
33 percent fear that nuclear power could pose uncontrollable dangers.
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Ackecl wliat tlia i;overnment should do abuut ~he develo~ment oP nuclear encrgy, iE9 percenL
said ~hnt safeby sliould Uc given priority and 29 percenb demanded bhat All intormation
about t~ucleai~ E~ower be mttde puUlic so bha~ a na8ional consensus can be formed. Only
13 percent bhottghb ~hab nuclear power is dangerous and its developmenb should be totally
abaridoned, or that existin~ reacBors should be shub down ttnd checked for ;,afeby. And
only livc percenb believe thab nu~lear power is bhe only future energy sourec and should
be cxploi~ed.
- CQPYRIGHT: Asahi Ev~ning News, 1979
- CSO: 5100 '
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~OIt 0~~'IC~At, U5~ dNLY
JAI~AN
MITI S~~KS 5HAii~ IN NUCL~AR ~i~pROC~S5IN(i COhiPANY
OW/TK1110~5 Tokyo NIHON KOaYO 3NIMBUN in Japanese 6 Jul 79 P 1 ~W--~OR O~F'ICIAL US~ ON LY _
[tixcerpts ] Aceording to what was revealed by a govQrnment sourc:e on the 5th, MITI han firmed
up the policy of giving direet finanoial aid, sueh as government inveatment~, for the plan to
e~tablish a company for the reprocessing of ~pent nuclQar PuQl, preparation~ for whict~
company are baing pushed 3o that it will be establiahed in NovembQr.
In ~oncretc Lerm:,, a"cub~titute energy new tax" will be establi~hed in I,hc nexL fi:;cal
Ye~c~, and, with ehi~ as a revenue source~ a"substitute energy special nccount" arxf a
"sub::Litutie energy development public corporation" will be established. Investment~ by
the public corporation or interest subsidies are being considered. Eleetric power industry
circles are showing stror~ reluctance to this concept of MITT. saying that there is
t;he t'ear that the leadership of the private reprocessirg compar~y will shifL- to the
~;ovei~cme nt side. It is likely that this will become one of the points of issue foretellir~
Lhc outcome of MITI~s over-all strategy on substitute energy,
A~ to thc plan for establishir~ a private reprocessing compar~y, preparatio ns are being
pu~hed, urxier the lead ot electric poNer industry circles, by such related irxiu:,try
circle~ a~ electric machinery, industrial nachinery, ahipbuilding, con,truction~
che;~ieals, tradir~ conpa niec, banks, and non-ferrous metals. On the 16th, a"new
ceproces~irg compar~y establishme nt preparatory canurtittee" will be inaugurated, a rcl
ElecL-ricity EnLerprise Federation Vice-Chairman Kenichi Masachika is scheduled to take
the post of chairman.
Acco:ding to the concept to date, the new corapar~y will be established in NovembQr this
year, ard a reprocessin~ plant with an annual processirg amount of 1,500 to n, will bc
con:,tructed with a total investment of 500 yen billion, so that the operation of the
plant uill be started in 1990. iogether With the existin3 reprocessing facilities
(annual processing anount; 200 to ns) of the power reactor a M nuclear fuel developnent
corporation. It is aimed at do^~estically processir~v all the spent nuclear fuel of Japan
s,rhich is to be discharged in 1990. In pronoting this plan, private circles say, "we ~ nt
to receive a lon~-terr.i, low-interest Development Bank loan as to 70 percent of the total
amount ot investments" (leader of electric pouer industry cirales).
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Mtml w~n alieaicir~ int�o dic~ent fii~neial aid in tihe for?n of inventment dt~ a lxrg~ amnunt
df lt~6ere~t; uub:;idies, Houever, it Jad~ad ~hat inv~gtmene by Lhe development bttnlt io �
difficult; because iC require~ a revisinn of thc D~velopm~nL Qank law~ and ~ diraat
invcot;ment by tiie "Sub~eitute ~ner~y nevelopment publiC Cdrpar~tiion" ar ehe inC~~~e~l;
sub,sidy i'ormul~ h~s been r~pidly brought inta the 13me11ght. ~
MImr ha~ worked out a nubstitur,e energy developmenr, over-~11 str~teQy~ urder the 1a~d oi'
ttic Keseurce~ and ~nergy A~er~ay, uith the establishmenti of the followir~ new 1~ws a~ pillgr~:
- a".,ubstitute energy developmen~ inti~oduetion pranotion temporary neasures law~~~ ~'sub-
~titutc ener~y development introduatian promotion tax law," �subutitute ener~y d~velopment-
publia corporutian law,""and "subgtitute energy development tntroduotion promotion meqsure~
spacial qCCbUt1t 1aw" (all tent~tiiv~ nam~s). As to the rep~doescir~g eompar~y, tno~ it is
posltionirg it a~ "something tid baok up atiomic power gen~ratiion, which b~comes the aore ~
of substitute energy for the present" (MITI 1~ad~r). Iti w~nts bo take the form of more
direct goverrment aid within the framework oP thie over-all strategy.
On the other h~nd~ and privaee aircles~ side ineluding the eleatric power irYiustry circles
are showing reluctance to bhe substiitutie energy over-all strategy itself~ saying that
"it will force a r~ew burden on the energy-connected iixlusbries." ~rthezmore~ ib feara
that the leadership of the reprocessing compuny will be lo3t due to the introduction of
direet ~overrment furcis, Sn regard to tihe substitute energy over-all sti~ategy, oi1
inciu,try circles are already firming up the attitude of opposir~ the new tax, snyir~
that "it is pre-requisitie to revieu the present oil tax system."
COPYRICHT: Nihon Kogyo Shimbun, 1979
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~Ott O~F'ICIAL US~ tlNLY
JAPAN
TH~ COI~4tTSSION D~CIDES AGAYNST CANDU REACTORS
~ OW071151 Tokyo A3AH2 ~1t~NZN~ N~WS 1n ~nglish 6,iu1 79 p~ OW--~O~ O~~rCTAL U5E ONLY
(TexbJ The Atiomic ~'nergy Commission ~zeaday deaided that it would make a formal deoision
noti to lntiroduoe the Candu reanbor on July 1'j, when its regular conferenoe w311 be held.
The dommission explained that tihere was gn adequate reason at this momant for introducing
tihe Canadian-made reaator. Ths commission said, however, that it would consider introduo- ~
ing thQ reaotor in the future.
One of bhe reesons Por not introducing the reactor i~ that it would retard the developmunt
of bhe advanced thermal reaetor (ATR). Tha nommission was foroed to make a deoision on tihe
- issuc in ordQr to draw up n budget for z98o. ~
COPYRIGHT: Asahi Evening News, 1979
CSO: 5100
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FOIt 0~~'ICIAL US~ dNLY ~
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JAPAN ~
't
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~
CANDU ItEJ~CTED AS INCONSISTENT WITH RECYCLING PROGRAM '
. ;
Tokyo SANICEI SHIMBUN in Japaneae 2 Jun 79 p 5 ;
~
(Areicle by editorial commiCtee member Ichiro Ishibaehi: "Candu Reactor ~
Will NoC Be Yntroduced, Atomic ~nergy Commiasion Decision on Grounds It ~
Would 'Violate Policy
i
[Text] The Atomic Energy Commi.asion (Science and Technology Agency Chief ~
Kaneko, chairman) met on the lst to diacuas the question of procuring i
electricity generating reactor Candu of Canadian manufacture and decided to i
re~ect it. Reason: It is not in consonance with the country's basic pol-
icy of recycling nuclear waste. There ia no consensus as yet whether to ~
_ announce the formal decision before or after the advanced nationa summit Co j
be held at the end of Che month.
i
Acquisition of the Candu which is a heavy waCer reactor using natural
uranium was reconmiended by the Electric Power Development Company and the j
Ministry of International Trade and Induatry [MITI]. Whether or not to ~
purchase this item was discussed at an informal sympoaium conducted by ~
the Atomic Energy Commission at the end of March and it was reported that ~
ways had been greased for its importation. At that time, it was atrongly i_
rumored that it would be acquired on a trial basis. ~
i
i
But this country which lacks uranium reaources has a basic policy the early j-
development of nuclear fuel recycling proceas, and the acquisition of the ;
Candu reactor which is not designed for recycling is not in consonance l
with that policy. Construction of a plant to recycle nuclear wasze from
the Candu is impractical because there is four times as much spent fuel ~
from the Candu as from other reactors. This was an added factor leading ~
to the rejection.
~
Simultaneously, as an aftermath of nuclear accidents in the United States, !
the feeling is growing that Japan should enhance its own developmental ef- ~
forts instead of depending on the acquisition of foreign reactors. The ~
latest decision was reached after liatening to experts in the field and in ~
financial circles. '
~
, ,
COPYRIGHT: Sangy?o Keizai Shimbun Tokyo Honaha 1979
8~58
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~OIt OF~ICIAL US~ ONLY
JAPAN
MAY I'OLL i2EPORTS ATTITUDES ON ENERGY PROBL~M
OWl~E1157 Tokyo TH~ nAILY YOMNRI in ~nglish 12 Jun 79 p 2 OW--b'Oft OF'FICIAL US~ ONLY
[~,xaerpbs] Nearly 80 peraen~ ot bhe Japanese people are worried abouti oil ~hortoges but
~nly 64.t3 percent of them are doing something to save energy, aacording to a poll
aonducted by the YOMNRI SNIMEIJN on May 26 and 27. The poll also revealed that about
70 percenti oP tihe pollees are nonoerned aboub tihe dangers involved operati.Lng nualear
power planta.
The aurvey was taken against the background of a grave enecgy crisis which was brought
aboub by oil shortages resulting Srom th6.politiaal tur.r,a il in Iran and the reoent nualear
aacident at Three Mile Island in the U.S.
The energy situation has worsened in recent months partly beeause the Three Mile Island
accident, which xas desoribed as "America~s worst riuclear emergeney," hac led mnny peo-
ple to have reservations about the use oP nualear power as a cubstitvte energy source.
The accident was followed by stepped-up antiraxclear poxer protests in the U.S. and other
countries.
Exactly 78.2 percent of the pollees said "yes" to the question: "Are you worried about
the current and ilzture oil supply situation?" Nearly half--43 percent--of these pollees
said that "critioal energy shortages will occur soon." Another 38 percent said that
"tight energy supplies will drive up commodity prices."
"The 1973 oil crisis, which triggered price spirals, is still vivid in the minds of the
,lapanese people,'~ one polister said. The government should develop and aarry out energy
policies that include measures to keep the people xell informed on the energy sltuation,
to expand the crude oil imports and to curb coma:~odity price increases. 51,ich measures
are necessary t,o ease the energy situation in Japan and to eliminate aruciety about oil -
shortages."
The latest poll also showed that only 64 percent of thosa surveyed were responding to
the government~s plea for energy conservation and its slogan "saving energy starts with
something as commonplace as turning off all the lights at home xhen they are not needed."
Exactly 43 percent of these pollees said that they were cutting down on the use of the
air-conditioning systen at their homes.
Only 17 percent said that they c:ere "trying to keep my car at home as much as possible
to save gasoline."
"The government~s holiday gasoline station closing plan also is not working xell," the
pollsters said. "This would seem to suggest that no voluntary guideline on energy con-
servation is very effective, unless it is turned into mandatory control."
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~O~t O~~~CIAL i15~ ONLY ~
mhe governmen~ in alre~dy worki.ng ~a expand tihe use of nuole~r power, ndnl and liqu~fied ~ i
natiur~l ~as as cubntiitiub~ energy saurdes~ ~leatirio3ty generatiod ati nuolear power st~- ~
bior~ in Jap~n ~aaounta for nearly gevon pereenr of ell eleotria power eonowned in the
noun~ry.
}3uL tihe YUMTU1tI SNIMI3UN poll chowed that bhere wan "wide~pra~d and deap-rnntod i'ear"
~bo~~ti ~he safety nf nuole~r power nb~tiidnn among the Jopane~e people. I
~x~etly 17.$ pereenti nf thase gurveyed gaid that bhey were '~warri~d very munh" abouti ~
bhe sai'aty probl~m~ invdived in the operation of nuolear power piants. Another 54 per- ~
aent ~aid that they were '~somewhat worried" about bhis mabber.
Pollaters nobed, however~ bhati 61 peroent of the pollees gave oautiiou~ support to the ~
goverrunenb~s poliay of using nuolear power. The3e pollees said that nuolear power planbs
should be kepb 1n operat3on bub "bhe government should keep the operation to bhe minimum i_
and arw wer all snfety quesCions involved." Another 14 peraent of
tihose surveyed said ~
that the government ahould aet po~itiively tio increase the nwnber nf r~uciear power sta-
tions in tihe country. '
F3ut nenrly 60 peroent of the poliees said thab they would oppose any proposAl to buiid
a razelea^ power stabion in their own distriots. Only six percent of the people eovered
by a Prime Minister~s OfPice survey lasb Maroh gave this answer.
i
Poll3ters who eonduated the YOMIURI SNI;~IDUN survey explainod that the Japanese people~s ;
antipatihy toward nuclear power apparently increased aftier the Three Mile I31and nuolear
power plant aecident that resuited in the shutdown of r?uolear reaotors at the plant.
CSO: 5100 ~
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rox o~~~cr~ us~ ortLY
JApAN `
,
BRIEFS -
_ CFRP CENTRIFUG~--The Power React~r and Nuclear Fuel bevelopment Corp on
13 Jun 79 gnnounced thaC iti would start operaeing teses on a CFRP "~umbo
centrifuge" of ~ form very close Co ehe ultimate goal this summer. The
"3umbo" hAS a diameter of 350 to 50A mm, heighth 5 to 10 m, peripheral
velocity of 600 to 700 m/sec, and a yearly separative capacity of 10 to
100 kg SWU. There wi11 be considerable debate on technical ques~tions such
as safety upon breakdown, equipment reliability, and materials cost as
well as on advisibilitiy of rendering meCgl centrifuge technology obsoleCe.
Prospects of practicality are less than for the metal centrifuge program
at present, and the level of funding and development schedule wi11 be the
criCical factors deCermining the fate of the ~umbo. (Tokyo NIKKEI SANGYO
SHIMBUN in Japanese 14 Jun 79 p 13]
HEAVY WATER TECHNOLOGY--The InstituCe of Physical and Chemical Research,
under contract with the Power Reactor and Nuclear Fuel Development Corp, -
has established good prospects for a water-hydrogen conversion process
to remove tritium from heavy water that may be applicable for mass
production of heavy water itself. The process takes advantage of the
difference in equilibrium states of tritium water and tritium gas in
duterium gas, and in principle analogous use of the difference in
equilibrium states of water and duterium gas in hydrogen gas could be
used for producing heavy water. [Tokyo NIKKEI SANGYO SHIMBUN in Japanese
19 Jun 79 p 13]
. ~
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IRAQ
OTHER SOURCES TAPP~D FOR NUCLEAR POWER
London THE MIDDLE ~AST in ~nglish Jul ~9 p 93 "
.
(Text] Recent unconfirmed reports that Iraq has agreed to buy plutonium
from Brazil auggest tihat the sabotage of the 70 MW Osirak research reac-
tor being built in ~rance for its new nuclear research centre has done _
little to deter the authoritiea in Baghdad from continu~:.~g with their
nuclear programme. ,
Z'he destruction of the Oairak reactor core by a skilfully placed bomb
~uat before it was to be ahipped to Iraq has generally been aCtributed
eo Mossad (Israeli intelligence), but informed observera do not rule out
the possibility that ultimate responaibility liea with the US Central _
Intelligence Agency (CIA), whether or not Moasad was directly involved.
Washington has become increasingly concerned as control of nuclear
power slipa out of the hands of the ma~or powers, largely as a result
of their need to export to survive.
France and Weat Germany in particular have seemed Co be more concerned
with landing export orders than with preventing the spread of atomic
weapona. France, for instance, agreed to aell Pakistan a reprocessing
facility in 1978, but US pressure and ite virtual monopoly over the
supp]ly of enriched uranium "persuaded" France to go back on the deal.
Weat Germany, on the other hand, which is less vulnerable because it has
some enrichment facilities of its own, refused to bow to US pressure and
is going ahead with the s~le of a reprocessing plant and enrichment
faciliCy to Brazil and possibly a heavy-water plant to Argentina. This -
will make both Argentina and Brazil independent nuclear powers and will
epeed their development as nuclear exporters.
- If work on the Brazilian plants goes according to plan, it should be in
a poaition to export plutonium by the late 1980s, provided it can evade
or get around application of the Int~rnational Atomic Energy Agency
(IAEA) safeguards to which it has agreed. Brazil will certainly need to
export nuclear technology and material if the initial investment in the
$13bn plants being built by Kraftwerk Union is to make economic senae.
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- Zraq's inCerese in becoming a cuatomer for Brazilian nuclear technology
is no secret. Brazi~. ia now imporeing about ~.3-15mn tons of Iraqi crud~
oil a year, which represents around 12 percent of Traq's output in ~.978
~nd close tio one Chird of Br~xi].'s toCal oi1 imports.
Aw~re of the value o� Iraqi oi1 F;,pplies to ma~or cuatomere~ such as
Brazil, France, Italy, Spain P~~41 Japan, during Che present world oi1
shortages, Iraqi Vice-PreaidenC Saddam Huesain recently made it known
that his Government was intending to charge what he called a"strategic
_ price" for these supplies. France and Spain are conaequently expected
to reciprocaCe Iraq's readinesa to enter into oil contracts by providing
arms. Brazil, for its part~ ia apparently expected Co provide p~utonium.
IC is difficult to see, however, exactly why Iraq ahould need plutonium
if its nuclear programm~ is purely for the generation ot elecCricity.
Thera are only two uses for plutonium at preaent--as fuel for fast- -
breeder nuclear reactors (FBRs) or as material for atomic weapons.
Even in the Weat FBRs are not yet in commercial use.
Iraq's nuclear programme be;an in the 1960s and it has had a small Soviet
IRT-2000 research reactor in operation at the Tuwaitha InstituCe since
1968. Soviet reactors ar-~ stringently controlled and can be used only
for their inCended purpoae, but it undoubtedly provided a useful training
ground for Iraqi scientista.
More recenCly, Iraq has set up a new centre with French help, which would
have been completed with the delivery of the Osirak. It ia also nego-
tiating with the French firm Framatome for the supply of a 600 MW p~wer ~
reactor.
Iraq has signed and ratified the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which
meana that it has undertaken not to develop nuclear weapona. Neverthe~
less, the Osirak would have been quite capable of producing enough
plutonium for several bombs a year and the report of the deal with
- Brazil coming so soon after Che sabotage of Osirak is viewed by many
- as more tl~.an just coincidence.
There is no doubt that, as long as Israel refuses to sign the NPT and
as long as reports of the exiatence of an Israeli atomic bomb persist,
- tihe Arab states will feel compelled to redress this imbalance of power.
COPYRIGHT: IC Magazines LCd., 1979
_ CSO: ~100
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FOIt OF~ZCTAL U5E ONLY
NIG~R
UItANIUM MINING SEEN AS KEY TO OVFRALL DEVELOPMENT
Mining Economy: EssenCial
Paris MARCHES TROPICAUX ET MEDITERRANEENS in French 1 Jun 79 pp 1430-1435 -
[Excerpts] Whenever Niger is mentioned, one immediately thinks of uranium
production. This is an understandable reflex insofdr as the mining of the
Air region uranium ores now provides ovcr two-thirds of Niger's exports
and supplies the government with a substantial portion of its annual hard
currency income. However, it should be noted that despite the overwhelming
and practically unique position that uranium occupies in Niger's mining
picture, it is but one of the many resources contained in the country's
subsoil.
The presence of phosphates no longer has to be demonstrated. In the so-called
"W" region, enormous quantities of the ore have been discovered. According
to ONAREM [National Office of Mining Resources], in the explored area alone
which makes up only 5 to 6 percent of the prospecting zone it is estimated
that workable reserves total several hundred millions of tons. Starting nexC -
year, coal will be extracted from the Anou-Araren mines (5 million tons con-
firmed). Good quality iron ore (51 to 53 percent) is abundant in the Say
region (650 million tons) and its mining can be anticipated during the next
S years. Regarding oil, which was discussed at length in a previous chapter,
hopes are very good. Cassiterite (tin ore) has been mined for a very long
time, but on a small scale. The same is true of salt and natron. In addi-
tion, Niger has gold, copper, bauxite, manganese and molybdenum in rather
large quantities. These resources do not all appear to be usable, at least
in the immediate future, but it must be emphasized that to date, only 11 to
12 percent of the territory has been prospected in a rational manner. Re-
search continues and hopes are quite high.
Uranium: Only Resource of Subsoil Now Worked
Uranium is the driving force of Niger's economy and the essential element
the country's development. Hard currency resources obtained by uranate ex-
ports have increased considerably in the course of recent years. They re-
present several tens of billions of.CFA francs annually and have enabled
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- Niger to devot~ some 14 billion CF'A francs to the National Investment Fund
- in 197$ ar~d nearly 22 billion for the 1978-1979 �iscal year, compared with
Che 2.5 billion CFA �rancs which Che Fund had in 1974.
Conaequently, Ntger is able without yet giving up inCernational finan-
cinl support Co contribuCe Co the expansion of its economic possibll.iCies
and the establishment, in the most diverse domains, of infrastructur~s
indispensable for development.
It has been thought, staCed and sometimes written thaC while the Niger Gov-
~ ernment derived an enormous profiC �rom the working of uranium ores, the
life of the "average Nigerien" had not yet been substantially affected.
This opinion, which is shortsighted and essentially based on Che facC that
� the Air operaCions now employ,only a few thousand individuals generally
,jobbers who cannot therefore demand astronomical wages is absolutely -
erroneous.
Uranium and the Minimum Income Tax
In general, it could be emphasized that in a country whose administration
is sound and Niger undeniably fits into this category the nation's
inCerests go hand in hand with th~ interests of each citizen. But such a
philosophical argument is not automatically accessible to the masses, which
prefer concrete data to reasoning.
Among such data is at least one facCor which has not escaped the Niger
population, particularly its more modest representatives. It is the out-
right elimination of the so-called IMF tax (minimum income tax). This
tax was levied on all Niger citizens, whether they lived in opulence or
poverty. After a year of work and savings, the poorest peasants or shep-
herds could not manage to free themselves from the tax collector and lived
in constant fear of the annoyances,or cruelty inflicted�by the "redcaps."
This constant concern is now spared them because uranium, about which most
know nothing, has made it possible to make up the 1 billion CFA francs
of which the Treasury is deprived due to the elimination of the inappro- `
priate tax.
As an individual, the Nigerien does not always deprive an immediate profit
from public investments, the vast ma~ority of which are financed by uranium,
but mothers whose children attend the more numerous and better equipped
schools, sick people who are cared for at clinics or in more comfortable
hospitals, farmers who receive fertilizers or phytosanitary products at
prices far below those found on the regular market, consumers who are lucky
enough to obtain Thai rice at half of its cost price from the OPVN [Niger
Foodstuffs Office], and so on, essentially owe these things to the fact
that receipts from uranium enable the government to meet expenditures
arising out of these soc~al facilities or price reductions.
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It is super�luous to ~dd thgt work underway in the area oE communications
infrnsCruc~ures (uranium road) or energy infrasCrucCures (Anou-Araren
powerplant) and to whose fingncing Che uranium mining enterprises make
a subatantial, direct contribution, already has a marked effecC on employ-
ment and within the nexr few years to come will profoundly modify the
socioeconomic contexC in areas involved,
- ExisCing Resources and Workable Resources -
No maCter how abundant they mighC be, noC a11 the mining resources could
_ contribute to Che counCry's development. It is good to repeat thaC Niger is ~
a landlocked counCry and ~Lts territory closest to the sea is some 800 kilo-
meters �rom the coast. ConsequenCly, the country can only work its resources
= particularly its mining resources, which are generally heavy and whose value-
weight ratio is low if it can deliver them to a mar.itime port aC a compe-
tiCive price. One can Cherefore understand why the working of iron ore,
aluminum or phosphates even if low in quality is always possible and
almost always profitable when the deposits are found near the sea and do not
require costly means of shipping. On the other hand, very large deposits
with high-quality ore can only be considered as potential resources, due to
Cheir distance from the sea, when suppliers that are more favorably situated
geographically speaking can meet the demand at better prices.
On the local level, basic processing possibilities for the common ores mined
in the country are extremely limited. Iron ore can be pelletized, phosphate
can be enriched and bauxite can even be turned into alumina, as is done in
Guinea. However, these operations, which already require substantial invest-
ments, are inadequate. They can double, triple or quadruple the per-kilogram
worth af the workable ore through the elimination of heavy elements of no
value. However, even if the product obtained is upgraded, the price-volume
ratio is relatively low and therefore, in order to obtain an appreciable
_ turnover, it would be necessary to ship tans of thousands of tons toward
the sea over thousands of kilometers. Furthermore, in the case of a land-
locked country, this would have to be done through a foreign country.
Very High Value-Weight Coefficient
Uranium would not escape this rule if it were necessary to export the un-
processed ore, which aC the SOMAIR [Air Region Mining Company] quarries
contains no more than 3 kilograms of inetal per ton (between 2.5 and 3 per-
cent). As the crow flies, Niger's deposits are 1,500 kilometers from the
nearest Libyan coast or the shores of the Atlantic (Lagos)...and there are
no aecess roads. Zhe production which SOMAIR exported in 1977 alone (1,120
tons of inetal contained) would have required the shipping of some 400,000
tons of unprocessed ore.
Fortunately, the Air region's mining operations have remarkably well-equipped
industrial complexes that process the ore and turn it into uranaCe contain-
ing some 70 percent metal.
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"sN - 29 pi�flduction d' U R A N I U M i)
- de la SOMAIR
~ Metal conlenu dans t'u~~nate dQ soude ~ 10 2)
en fonnes 3) :~i`i~::!;';.; -
ra,,,k,
1500 :i:i:::';
:1110
, ~
~.EGE:;~;:,,~.~;.~ :
i~`,,,,~~~ i~ i
. .
!i~i~ili�, .
i:~~::;'~i~!ii:~:;; ~ , :;1,:.
~ ~~1460~:
. 440:
?~::r,:::,~::,:~:.'
. .
. , j.1306' ~ ' :
~li3'ii;s::n.. _
, ~
1000 a:;l~:,::.:::~.:::......:,~ .
. .
:
~ :is u;::~:::::r~i:;::ii;:: :~~i::;::i;;;!;;ii; ' ii;:;i;;: . i
~~1114 ,
::;i:::~~;~, :i's~,~:;:: : ,,:i:;s:,;;....... :
~::~:s;! ::ii;?::il:`::;iii~i~
i:i's' ::iE :E~i:~ai:ii :
f;:`.:i:::,:~i::;:�
i ~ : ' ~
949 :
, .
~
,r~ .
869:;::
~
~
.
, .~:~:,.,::::~~:'�,,,::'�sl;;~
500
.
~::~t
;~s!;
~iiiii~iiiii :E::: i~iiiiii; :
.....::i:�.
� .........:::t:::::: .
a.. v . c:
:
...::::i.~~:::.:::: .....::::::::...:i:�::�~.~~.,~..:~: :~:::::::i:.::: i.:
~ ...~....................:.~i~.~.::~:....
~
......f{il::i:i::ii ~:.^,L�:::.........~.......~ .t..1........~.... !i?ii^iii^:i:::::............C:::ii iii.liiiii:ii~�~:..
~
......I:'t::t7:::�: ::1::::l:tt :::::7::tt:::::::::: ::t7::771:::i~:t...
~ ..:t:::::~.~........ ............~....1 ` .
1{.:::::::::::'::::~:
i:::.... . .
.....~r .~...~..~~r...~~~. . .
:it� ......~i..�......~�. .1'.:::i::::::'::i'
"
:::~410:; .
:
.
.
~
~~o .
. .
.
. . . . : :
.
. . .
5s� 19]1 12 13 74 15 76 17 1918
Key:
1. SOMAIR's Uranium Production
2. MeCal contained in 70-percent sodium uranate
3. In tons -
Since uranium is a rare and expensive metal, 70-percent uranate has a very
high value-weight coefficient: 23,OOO,to 25,000 CFA francs per kilogram,
FOB Cotonou, in 1978. One can easily understand why, under such circum-
stances, the effect of transport costs, without being negligible, is in-
finitely smaller on a ton or uranate than on a ton of phosphate, alumina
or pelletized iron ore and why, in the absence of any other solution, one
might even considering shipping it out by plane. Actually, SOMAIR's uran-
ate, along with that of COMINAK [Akouta Mining Company], is shipped to
Cotonou by road and rail. With respect to road transport, a few dozen
shifts of two or three 20-ton trucks would be enough to haul the annual
production of the two enterprises.
Uranate is practically the only Niger product for which the country's land-
locked nature is not an insurmountable obstacl~, although supplying the
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mine and the plane with very heavy products (50,000 Cons of hydrocarbons,
sulfur, soda, mater3.al.s and som~ rolling stock traneported in 1577 over
2,000 kilomerers by road and rair for SOMAIR alone) is pareicul~rly costly.
C~A Studies and Establishment of SOMAIR
The di~covery of uranium in Niger took place a relaCively long Cime ago.
A year before independence, in 1959, the French Atomic Energy Commission ~
(CEA) began to study deposits discovered in the Air region. The studics
continued until rhe end of 1966 and in 1967, the reports drawn up by the
research workers showed that it was possible to wozk the confirmed reserves
at a profit. The reserves were then esCimated to contain some 20,000 Co
25,000 rons of uranium metal, which meant that one could anticipaCe
15 years of mining with an average annual production of 2,100 Co 2,200
tons of uranate.
On 1 February 1968, the Air Region Mining Company (SOMAIIt) was set up and
given the task of working Che reserves on a concession of 360 square kilo-
meters granted Co the CEA in th~ Arlit region. Work indispensable for
putting the mine and then the plant into operation had to be undertaken
without delay. NaCurally, the work was particularly costly, representing
over 15 billion CFA francs (1968 value).
With respect to mining, the discovery of the first quarry, called ArletCe
- (the other two, mined later, are named Ariege and Artois), meanC 1.5 million
cubic meters of earthwork because the ore was at a depth of 35 meters. Power-
- ful str~pping and loading machines went into operation, along with a fleet
- of heavy trucks (30 tons), which had to carry out over 100,000 operations.
The first temp~rary slab housing for workers was gradually replaced by more
modern housing and social facilities that could be adapted to needs. The
first city of Arlit, which suddenly emerged from the sand, had some 5,000
inhabitants at the r.ime. It now has 12,000.
_ The problems of water for technical and human needs were acute because
Arlit is right in the desert. They were solved by the drilling of fairly
deep wells: the Tarat Madaouela watersheet (40 to 50 meters); the Guezou-
man watersheet (90 to 100 meters); the Vizeen watersheet (some 500 meters).
At the present time, the plant and the city have sufficient water, but
some underground water supplies may run out and their use by new mining
companies set up recently or being set up may accelerate the process and
make it necessary to prospect for water again.
Very Modern Processing Plant
Finally, the ore processing plant had to be built. Its siae and modern
construction still surprise visitors today. It is not necessary here to
go into the complex physical or chemical operations that take place at that
industrial facility. The drawing below will enable readers to follow the
different phases, which can be summed up as follows:
22
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APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2007/02/09: CIA-RDP82-00850R000100080011-0

APPROVED FOR RELEASE: 2007/02149: CIA-RDP82-44850R000100084411-4
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SYNOpTIQUE
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