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September 2022 66th GC-IAEA India Statement Dr K N Vyas

Statement by Dr K N Vyas

Chairman, Atomic Energy Commission and

Secretary, Department of Atomic Energy

At the 66th General Conference of IAEA

 

President, Excellencies, Ladies, and Gentlemen;

 

1. At the outset, I would like to congratulate His Excellency Ambassador Allesandro CORTESE on his election to the post of the President of the sixty sixth session of the General Conference of IAEA. I assure you of India’s full support and co-operation. 

2. Very good morning and warm greetings on behalf of the Government of India  to the IAEA and the Member States.

3. I am honoured to represent the Government of India on this forum and proud to say that this year on 15th August we celebrated our 76th Independence Day and commemorated it as Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.

4. I would like to welcome and congratulate Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Tonga as new members of IAEA.

5. Like previous years, this year too, India’s interaction with IAEA is significant and I am happy to share that India hosted the extended IRRS follow-up Mission during June 09 to 20, 2022. The initial IRRS mission of 2015, covered only nuclear power plants (NPPs). In the follow-up mission, scope was extended to review its regulatory framework in relation to the ‘Radiation Source Facilities and Activities’.

Mr. President

6. I would like to mention some of the achievements of our Industrial Units:

Indian nuclear power reactors have been setting records in long continuous operation. Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) units have operated continuously for durations of more than a year 39 times and more than two years 4 times. Excavation work has commenced for Kaiga Units 5&6 - the first pair of 700 MW PHWRs being constructed in fleet mode. 

7. Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC) has continued to be at the forefront in advancing the non-power applications of nuclear science and technology to improve the quality of life for the citizens and contribute to the societal and economic development of the nation. Scientific research has uncovered beneficial applications of radioisotopes and radiation in agriculture, medicine, and industry. 

8. Heavy Water Board (HWB), which is the largest global producer of heavy water has exported Heavy Water to Iwatani, Japan; Hyosung, South Korea, and Millipore sigma, the USA for non-nuclear applications.

Mr. President

9. Indira Gandhi Centre for Atomic Research (IGCAR) is the hub of R&D activities for the development of challenging fast breeder reactor technology. Fast Breeder Test Reactor core has incorporated a unique feature of poison subassemblies with enriched Boron carbide pellets for flux flattening as well as to ensure shut-down margins. I would also like to mention here that FBTR has a unique core design for U-Pu carbide fuel with Pu content of 70%. India has also demonstrated closure of carbide fuel cycle successfully. 

10. Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre (VECC), another important research institute of DAE, has commenced commercial production and supply of 68Ga-PSMA-11, using the 30 MeV Medical Cyclotron in a joint venture with BRIT. This radiopharmaceutical is used for the management of patients suffering from prostate cancer. 

11. As part of its collaboration with ITER for development in the field of Fusion Technologies, Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) has supplied approximately 4 km of Cryolines, and about 6 km of return lines for warm gases, manufactured by M/s. INOX-CVA in India to the ITER Worksite in France. These are ‘first of a kind system’ in terms of large size (diameter up to 1 m). IPR has also helped in completion of the Assembly of Top Lid Sectors of the Cryostat of ITER tokamak.

12. Tata Memorial Centre (TMC), a constituent health care unit of DAE, has been at the forefront of enhancing the cancer treatment facilities in the country. The first Allogenic Bone Marrow Transplantation (BMT) and the first paediatric bone marrow transplantation in the North East Region of India have been performed at Guwahati. The first patient in India received indigenously developed CAR-T-Cellular Therapy in June 2022.

Mr. President 

13. The IAEA Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology for Asia and the Pacific (RCA) is commemorating its 50th anniversary. It is a proud moment for us that India is the founder member for the RCA.  On behalf of the Government of India, I extend my heartiest congratulations to RCA on completion of 50 years and wish the celebrations a great success.

14. We are showcasing the Radio Isotope and Indian Isotope reactors technologies by the Department of Atomic Energy in the Indian stall. I request all present here to visit the Indian Stall and encourage the scientists of the Department. 

15. We thank the city of Vienna, the people, and the Government of Austria for hosting the IAEA. India remains committed to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, both on research and application fronts.  We wish the 66th General Conference a grand success.

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