15 Mar (NucNet): India has agreed a ‘roadmap’ for the construction of further nuclear power plants in the country in cooperation with Russia.
Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh said on 12 March 2010 that the roadmap for additional nuclear plants was agreed during a visit to the country last week by Russian prime minister Vladimir Putin.
India’s Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) said the roadmap outlines timelines for steps to be taken for the construction of units 3 and 4 at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in the state of Tamil Nadu in the south of India.
The roadmap also provides for the construction units 5 and 6 at Kudankulam and two reactors at Haripur in West Bengal in eastern India.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the site at Haripur had been “offered” for potential development of another Russian-designed nuclear plant, although the initiative was “in its very early days”.
The DAE said India would also consider the construction of more reactors of Russian design.
Two Russian VVER-1,000 reactor units are already under construction at Kudankulam. According to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India those units are scheduled to begin commercial operation in September 2010 and March 2011.
The roadmap includes plans for the “progressive indigenisation” of supplies for reactors to be constructed in collaboration with Russia beyond the level already being planned for Kudankulam-3 and 4.
Mr Singh and Mr Putin also signed an inter-governmental agreement on cooperation in nuclear energy.
In December 2009, both countries signed an agreement to increase civilian nuclear energy cooperation that is likely to see Russia building four nuclear reactor units at Kudankulam in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.
The agreement was in addition to a similar text agreed by the two countries in 2008 which confirmed proposals for additional units at Kudankulam as well as the possible construction of Russian-designed nuclear plants at new sites in India.
>>Related reports in the NucNet database (available to subscribers)
Russia And India Sign Agreement For More Nuclear Cooperation (News in Brief No. 160, 9 December 2009)
India’s Rajasthan-5 Begins Commercial Operation (News in Brief No. 25, 9 February 2010)
