Delhi wants safety review before procuring reactors

“We are awaiting completion of the review of safety aspects of the EPR design by the authorities in France. Both sides are committed to ensuring the highest levels of safety in the project,” External Affairs Minister S M Krishna said after a meeting with the visiting French Minister for Foreign and European Affairs Alain Juppé.

Krishna, however, added that New Delhi was committed to India-France collaboration in the field of atomic energy, particularly for the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project.

“We discussed the issue of safety related to civil nuclear cooperation with India. Nuclear energy is a vital source of power provided we develop the highest standards of safety,” said Juppé. “France is determined to be completely open on the steps we have taken for safety.”

The two ministers were addressing a joint news-conference after the meeting at Hyderabad House here.

The Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited and French multi-national Areva had on December 6, 2010 signed a General Framework Agreement and an Early Works Agreement for installation of the first two 1650 MWe EPRs  at the proposed atomic power plant at Jaitapur. The deals had followed a September 2008 inter-governmental agreement between New Delhi and Paris for cooperation of peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

MoU inked in 2009

The NPCIL and AREVA had earlier inked a Memorandum of Understanding on February 4, 2009.

France was the first country to sign deal with India for collaboration in the field of atomic power after the 46-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group granted a waiver to New Delhi in 2008, thus ending the latter’s 34-year-old isolation from the nuke world.

But the India-France collaborative project at Jaitapur ran into trouble following the mishap at Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan in the aftermath of a quake and tsunami on March 11 last.