The Tarapur Power Reactor Fuel Reprocessing Plant is among the 14 nuclear facilities to be opened by India for international safeguards under the deal with the US.

As per the separation plan unveiled in Parliament Tuesday by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh [Images], the Tarapur plant will be opened to safeguards in the "campaign" mode after 2010.

• Indo-US nuclear tango

The Tarapur and Rajasthan 'Away from Reactors' spent fuel storage pools would be made available for safeguards with appropriate phasing between 2006 and 2009, specifies the plan agreed between the two sides during last week's visit by US President George W Bush [Images] in India.

• PM's US Tour

India has also agreed to classify Heavy Water Production plants at Thal, Tuticorin and Hazira as civilian between 2006 and 2009.

• Bush's India Visit

The other facilities, which India has agreed to declare as civilian, are Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Variable Energy Cyclotron Centre, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, Institute for Plasma Research, Institute of Mathematics Sciences, Institute of Physics, Tata Memorial Centre, Board of Radiation and Isotope Technology and Harish Chandra Research Institute.

Under the agreement which entails that India declare 14 of its 22 nuclear facilities as civilian by 2014, New Delhi has agreed to shut down CIRUS reactor in Trombay-based BARC in 2010.

India has, however, refused to accept safeguards on the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor and the Fast Breeder Test Reactor, both located at Kalpakkam.

New Delhi has argued that the fast breeder programme is at the research and development stage and its technology will take time to mature and reach an advanced stage of development.

The 14 nuclear reactors to be opened for international safeguards will include four already under the safeguards -- TAPS (1 and 2) and RAPS (1 and 2) besides KK (1 and 2) that are under construction.

As per the deal, India has decided to place under safeguards all future civilian thermal power reactors and civilian breeder reactors.

The Indian government, however, retains the sole right to determine such reactors as civilian. The move to classify the nuclear reactors as civilian will raise the total installed thermal power capacity under safeguards from 19 per cent to 65 per cent by 2014.