Any move to curb transfer of enrichment and reprocessing (ENR) technologies to India by NSG countries will have no impact in the near future but may create hurdles in the long run for the domestic nuclear sector.
"India has developed reprocessing technologies on its own. We have developed it using indigenous equipment," Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) officials said here.
They added that an enrichment facility, though of a small capacity has been operational for over an year.
The need for access to ENR technologies from international sources would arise when India decides to set up a fuel reprocessing plant under IAEA safeguards, the officials said.
"It is at this time that the supply of ENR technologies from international sources would become crucial. We may need them to reduce the capital costs of building the reprocessing plant," they said.
The officials said Indian scientists and engineers were capable of building reprocessing and fuel enrichment plants using indigenous equipment but it may prove expensive.
They pointed out that India set up its first nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Trombay in 1965. Subsequently two plants were built at Tarapur and Kalpakkam.
The new guidelines bar ENR equipment and technology exports to states that have not signed or are not in compliance with the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), do not allow comprehensive IAEA safeguards, and do not allow more extensive monitoring under the terms of an additional protocol, among other criteria.
