Gujarat N-plant to get a push from Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to push for early commencement of work on Westinghouse Electric Company’s proposed atomic power plant in Gujarat during his visit to the US next month, as New Delhi just removed the last hurdle for commercial implementation of the 2008 Indo-US nuke deal by ratifying an international convention on nuclear liability.

India submitted its Instrument of Ratification of the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, 1997, to the International Atomic Energy Agency in Vienna late on Thursday.

A statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi referred to the ratification of the convention as a “conclusive step” in addressing domestic and international concerns over civil nuclear liability in India.

The US was quick to welcome the move, stating that New Delhi’s ratification of the CSC was “a crucial step toward facilitating the growth of safe, civilian nuclear energy” in India – the second most populous country of the world. “In addition, India’s membership is a major step towards the global liability regime called for by the IAEA’s Nuclear Safety Action Plan to provide prompt compensation in the event of an accident and to establish a legal framework for commercial arrangements,” Ernest Moniz, US Energy Secretary, said in a statement on Friday.