nissanguy123 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Finally ... I feel that the country should hold both the scientists as well as the govt. to do what they are supposed to! But valid objections MUST be answered and not just brushed aside or 'declared irrelevant' as the govt. is doing on this issue ! - fin - PS: the 'wow' was a little tongue-in-cheek comment ... sorry about that ! :) PEACE !

nissanguy123 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

4. Obviously since you are ex-BARC i suppose you know your thorium from your uranium:) !! ... however, perhaps we should consider the state of indian industry and research in ALL fields at that time. comparing with progress in US in the same time would not be valid.In addition, as layman, it seems that the thorium cycle attempted by India is markedly different from the molten salt reactors most research groups in the west are looking at ... am I right ? - to be contd-

nissanguy123 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

2. Inefficiency: sure BARC might be inefficient and full of red-tape, but that does not mean that the points they make are invalid! If BARC/IGCAR is inefficient then REFORM it! Isnt that better than paying billions to keep the american middle class employed !?Or is the point here that IQ of an Indian is inversly related to the distance from India ? :) that indians in BARC etc are too stupid to solve the challenges ahead ? -to be continued-

nissanguy123 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

.... while the economy is growing at 8+% the coal production has grown at around 4% (330Mt-430Mt for 1996-2003. Private industry (especially steel) have gone in for import because of this shortfall. The fact that India has to import high grade coal for power plants goes to show that research in this field has been neglected. If energy security was infact such a priority for this govt. why are they not addressing this ? Surely this is a cheaper and better alternative for the country!-to be cont

nissanguy123 (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

good points all of them ! ... However ,1. the speaker makes it clear (in the first 40sec of his talk) that he is attacking the premise that this deal will bring energy security for india and for this reason the deal 'must go through' !Coal reserves are mentioned in this context of 'practical avenues' for becoming self sufficient in energy. -to be continued-

talkwing (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Finally there is nothing to "wow" about BARC and moreover my exposure to scientific aspects does not automatically make me an expert on energy production/consumption equations of the nation. My perspective has been that of an insider, though a short one.

talkwing (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

4. Thorium research: 30 years is definitely not the time for "growth" of a technology, 30 years is 3 successive paradigm changes in a technology. This guy is claiming that is the rate of development is a blatant lie to the nation. If you get to visit BARC some way please do, you will see the paper work is as much as it was during the peak of license raj. Shifting blame is easy, this has become an ego issue between the older generation which is having there impractical pet projects closed ..

talkwing (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

for a complete replacement of our coal fuel, which in any case is not possible over and above the fact that we import 25 % of our coal needs from australia and new zealand. 3. Hydel (not discussed), so there is nothing for me to refute.

talkwing (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

China is not self sufficient with fuel, neither is the united states (Texas and Alaska no rigging yet). Every one is heavily dependent on the middle east and south america. So this point of countries always looking for domestic supply is wrong. 2. Govt inefficiency: In approving alternate schemes. This BARC bum should be the last guy complaining about such inefficiency . Sure, the blockades should be removed and we should beat the horse of high ash bituminous coal harder. We are not asking

talkwing (November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am)

Sure I can refute his points, but cannot get into the details of thorium, which was my main contention as I am bound by the official secrets act.1. Energy supply should be domestic : The only real domestic fuel is the poor quality coal, though we have enough to supply us for 50-75 years we still import coal today. Why ? (clue:efficiency). Do you think we can sustain an 8% growth with domestic supply ? to be cont..