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10 April 2015,

Nuclear Cooperation between India and France

Amit Bhandari, energy and environment fellow at Gateway House, comments on the Areva deal.

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The nuclear reactor at Jaitapur, Maharashtra, constructed by the state-controlled nuclear engineering firm Areva is one of the four nuclear power plants that India would like to build with foreign collaboration. Amit Bhandari, energy and environment fellow at Gateway House, comments on the Areva deal.

Amit Bhandari is available for further comments. For interview requests, please contact Reetika Joshi on +91 88793 61671.

Statement:

“As per the MoU between Areva and Nuclear Power Corporation India Limited (NPCIL), six units of Areva’s Evolutionary Pressurised Water Reactors (EPR) of 1,650 megawatts each are to be set up in phases of two units. Work on this project will start after the conclusion of the techno-commercial agreements between NPCIL and Areva.

Technology transfer and the cost of Areva’s EPRs are the key areas of concern for India. Based on current projects in Europe, EPRs cost approximately $6.4 million, which is more than the capital cost of India’s indigenous pressurised heavy water reactors. Manufacturing in India is desirable because it would bring this cost under control.

India already has a well developed nuclear power program of its own – buying an off-the-shelf product is worthwhile only if it brings significant technology transfers and advances India’s own know-how.”

For more information or interview requests, please contact Reetika Joshi at joshi.reetika@gatewayhouse.in or +91 88793 61671 or Ashna Contractor at c.ashna@gatewayhouse.in or +91 98201 83002.