| Pakistan builds reactor |
|
|
|
| World Affairs Talk | |
| Monday, 25 June 2007 | |
|
Khushab Reactor is located at Khushab, Punjab, Pakistan. The 50 MWt, heavy water and natural uranium research reactor is a central element of Pakistan's program for production of plutonium and tritium for advanced compact warheads. The Khushab facility, like that at Kahuta, is not subject to IAEA inspections, but the security of the site is professed by the Pakistani government. The reactor reportedly will be capable of producing enough plutonium for as many as 50 bombs each year. The Washington based ‘Institute for Science and International Security’ recently said, the construction was seen on commercial satellite imagery. The researchers hinted that the activity at Khushab and also at a plutonium separation facility at Chasma should be viewed as a sign of an accelerated nuclear arms race between Pakistan and its nuclear-armed rival, India. Pakistan secretly developed its nuclear weapons over many decades. It is unknown when Pakistan began its nuclear development projects, but by the 1980s it was suspected of having successfully developed nuclear warheads. However, this was to remain speculative until 1998 when Pakistan conducted its first nuclear tests at the Chagai Hills, a few days after India conducted its own tests. Many organisations have speculated Pakistan's nuclear bomb production capacity to be in between 50-60 per year although the exact number of possible nuclear weapons within Pakistan's arsenal is kept strictly confidential. Pakistan currently possesses ballistic missiles and fighter planes which can carry conventional weapons and nuclear warheads. The US acknowledged that it had long known about Pakistan's plans to build a large plutonium-production reactor, but it said the White House was working to dissuade Pakistan from using the plant to expand its nuclear arsenal. Construction of the larger reactor at Khushab apparently began sometime in 2000. Satellite photos taken in the spring of 2005 showed the frame of a rectangular building enclosing what appeared to be the round metal shell of a large nuclear reactor. A year later, in April 2006, the roof of the structure was still incomplete, allowing an unobstructed view of the reactor's features. Share & Bookmark             |
|
| Last Updated ( Friday, 29 June 2007 ) |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
