Pak increasing capacity to make weapon-grade plutonium: ISIS

Rezaul H. Laskar
Islamabad, Sept 19 (PTI) Pakistan is close to increasing several-fold its ability to make weapon-grade plutonium through two atomic reactors it is building and the development could exacerbate a nuclear arms race with India, a U.S. think tank has said.

The Institute for Science and International Security said
it had obtained commercial satellite imagery in February, May
and September this year that showed Pakistan was nearing
completion of the second plutonium production reactor in
Khushab.

The images show a "clearly visible row of cooling towers,
typically built in the later phase of reactor construction"
and the second reactor could "start in a year", said a report
issued by I.S.I.S.

It said work was also underway on a third plutonium
production reactor in Khushab. Satellite imagery obtained on
September 3 showed that "the roof of the third Khushab reactor
hall is not yet placed on top and the reactor vessel can be
seen inside".

"Once completed, these reactors will increase
several-fold Pakistan's ability to make weapon-grade plutonium
for nuclear weapons," the report said.

"The wider implication of Pakistan increasing its
plutonium production capacity must not be overlooked – there
is a real risk that it will exacerbate an India-Pakistan
nuclear arms race and increase tensions more broadly between
the two," it said.

A priority for the U.S. should be "a verified cut-off of
the production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium for
nuclear weapons in South Asia and worldwide," I.S.I.S.
said.

Both India and Pakistan have not signed the
Non-Proliferation Treaty and went nuclear after testing atomic
weapons in 1998. The Nuclear Suppliers Group recently approved
a waiver to its rules to allow India to acquire technology and
know-how as part of the civil nuclear deal with the U.S.

Pakistan has been seeking a similar exemption, saying
there should not be any discrimination towards its efforts to
acquire equipment and know-how to boost the generation of
atomic power.

The Khushab nuclear site in Punjab province originally
consisted of one heavy water reactor with a power of about 50
MW and a heavy water production facility. Details about the
construction of the second and third reactors emerged in 2006
and 2007.

I.S.I.S. said while "Pakistan has not sought to conceal
the construction of these reactors, it still has not spoken
publicly about their power, treating the subject as a state
secret".

The construction of additional cooling towers, revealed
by satellite imagery obtained by I.S.I.S. this month, "imply
that the new reactors could be larger than the first one".

"No electricity production equipment is seen in the
(satellite) images. This is consistent with the purpose of the
reactors being to produce plutonium for nuclear weapons," the
report said.

It said that if each of the two new reactors "operates at
100 megawatts-thermal", they could produce "enough plutonium
for eight to 10 nuclear weapons per year". The first Khushab
reactor's plutonium production capacity is about two to three
nuclear weapons a year. PTI RHL