VOA标准英语2009年-India Signs First Contract After Lifting of Emb

India has signed its first contract to build nuclear power plants after the international community lifted an embargo¹ on civilian² nuclear trade with the country. The deal marks the end of India's nuclear isolation³.
　
Chairman and CEO of Areva, Anne Lauvergeon, holds up document during signing of agreement in New Delhi, 04 Feb 2009

The state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. signed a preliminary accord with French company Areva in New Delhi, Wednesday, to provide up to six nuclear reactors⁵.

The reactors will be located in Jaitapur, in the western Maharashtra state. The estimated value of the deal has not been disclosed, but the cost of one reactor⁴ is expected to be $5 billion to $8 billion.

This is the first agreement to provide nuclear reactors since countries which supply nuclear technology approved a controversial proposal by the United States to drop a 34-year ban on nuclear trade with India.

The ban was imposed because India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

An energy advisor⁶ to the Confederation of Indian Industry, V. Raghuraman, says Wednesday's deal with the French company marks a starting point for India to gain access to state-of-the-art civilian nuclear technology.

"Today, since there has been a technology denial and fuel denial for the last more than three decades, India has developed an in-house program and there have been some capabilities⁷, but surely these are not world class or also of the capacities which are required for future development. Which would mean we really need to access technology. We would like to look at accessing technology from all around, because the kind of capacities which we need are phenomenal," said Raghuraman.

India has 17 nuclear reactors, which contribute about 2.5 percent of the country's electricity.

India is desperately⁸ short of power, wants to scale up the share of nuclear power, significantly, to meet the needs of its growing economy.

Energy advisor Raghuraman says India want to add 60,000 megawatts of nuclear energy, in the next 15 years.

"India does not have much of energy option. We are short of hydrocarbons⁹. We are short of coal. We are short of everything. We need an energy mix. We need to make the ground today to prepare for the future," said Raghuraman.

India is expected to spend billions of dollars to build nuclear power plants. In addition to France, India is likely to access the technology from the United States and Russia.

1 embargo   

n.禁运（令）；vt.对...实行禁运，禁止（通商）

参考例句：

• This country put an oil embargo on an enemy country.该国对敌国实行石油禁运。
• During the war,they laid an embargo on commerce with enemy countries.在战争期间，他们禁止与敌国通商。

2 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。

3 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

4 reactor   

n.反应器；反应堆

参考例句：

• The atomic reactor generates enormous amounts of thermal energy.原子反应堆发出大量的热能。
• Inside the reactor the large molecules are cracked into smaller molecules.在反应堆里，大分子裂变为小分子。

5 reactors   

起反应的人( reactor的名词复数 )； 反应装置； 原子炉； 核反应堆

参考例句：

• The TMI nuclear facility has two reactors. 三哩岛核设施有两个反应堆。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• The earliest production reactors necessarily used normal uranium as fuel. 最早为生产用的反应堆，必须使用普通铀作为燃料。

6 advisor   

n.顾问，指导老师，劝告者

参考例句：

• They employed me as an advisor.他们聘请我当顾问。
• The professor is engaged as a technical advisor.这位教授被聘请为技术顾问。

7 capabilities   

n.能力( capability的名词复数 )；可能；容量；[复数]潜在能力

参考例句：

• He was somewhat pompous and had a high opinion of his own capabilities. 他有点自大，自视甚高。 来自辞典例句
• Some programmers use tabs to break complex product capabilities into smaller chunks. 一些程序员认为，标签可以将复杂的功能分为每个窗格一组简单的功能。 来自About Face 3交互设计精髓

8 desperately   

adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地

参考例句：

• He was desperately seeking a way to see her again.他正拼命想办法再见她一面。
• He longed desperately to be back at home.他非常渴望回家。

9 hydrocarbons   

n.碳氢化合物，烃( hydrocarbon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hydrocarbons (HC), like carbon monoxide, represent unburned and wasted fuel. 碳氢化合物(HC)像一氧化碳一样，为未燃尽的和被浪费掉的燃料。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• With this restricted frequency range it is not applicable to hydrocarbons. 这个较紧缩的频率范围不适用于烃类。 来自辞典例句