Areva to sign MoU with NPCIL; to set up two reactors in Maha

Mumbai, Jan 22 (PTI) French energy major Areva will sign
an accord with the state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of
India Limited next month for setting up two reactors in
western state of Maharashtra.

This follows the Intergovernmental Agreement between
India and France on civil nuclear co-operation.

"As a follow up to the Intergovernmental Agreement, we
will be signing an MoU with Areva most likely on February 4
for setting up of two French reactors," NPCIL Chairman and
Managing Director S K Jain told PTI.

"Details of setting up of the plants will take place in
due course of time and the projects are expected to begin as
soon as formalities with IAEA (International Atomic Energy
Agency) is completed on safeguards agreement," Jain said.

Last month, NPCIL and Areva had signed a contract
agreement for 300 tonnes of Uranium to augment the power
production of the fuel starved indigenous plants.

Regarding signing of a 'confidentiality' or a
'non-disclosure' agreement with the US energy major
Westinghouse Electric, which was likely to take place this
week, Jain said, "the agreement has gone for approval and once
it is approved, it will be signed."

Asked whether a similar agreement will be signed with
General Electric (GE), Jain said, "GE has not initiated any
talks on these lines."

Last week GE had said that the company prefers to wait
till the 123 safeguards agreement is fully implemented.

"Transfer of information is a very sensitive issue and
we are trying to work out modalities, how to share information
with NPCIL so that it remains secured and not move to an
unsafeguarded facility," Meena Mutyala, Vice-President, Global
Growth and Innovation Business Leader for India, Westinghouse
Electric, had said.

On NPCIL's meeting with UK nuclear business group, he
said, dealings with British industry was not new to India and
even very recently for the indigenous nuclear reactors of two
units of 540 MW each in Tarapur, India has imported main
boiler feed pumps which are heavy pump equipment.

"But with India's ambitious plan of reaching a goal of
60,000 MW nuclear by 2030, we feel that the size of the
programme is large and global participation in that is a
must," Mutyala said.

Over a period such meetings with British business group
also will help in tie-ups and joint ventures in the near
future, he added. PTI LV
SAK
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