Pakistan in large-scale nuclear expansion>
(Reuters) - Pakistan is building a reactor that could produce enough plutonium for 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year in what would be a major expansion of its nuclear program and an intensified arms race in South Asia, a report said on Monday.
Satellite photos show what appears to be the construction site for a larger nuclear reactor adjacent to Pakistan's only plutonium production reactor, according to an analysis by nuclear experts at the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security.
The assessment, initially reported by The Washington Post, was posted on the institute's Web site.
The analysts concluded that the diameter of the structure's metal shell suggests a very large reactor "operating in excess of 1,000 megawatts thermal," according to the report.
"Such a reactor could produce over 200 kg of weapons-grade plutonium per year, assuming it operates at full power a modest 220 days per year," the technical assessment said.
"At 4 to 5 kg of plutonium per weapon, this stock would allow the production of over 40 to 50 nuclear weapons a year."
Pakistan currently is capable of producing about 10 kg of plutonium a year, enough for about two warheads, The Washington Post said. |
