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Editorial

Government approves Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with Australia

Published: December 2015

New Delhi. The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval to the Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement with Australia.

The civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Australia was brought into force on November 13 this year along with the Administrative Arrangement for implementing the Agreement. The fuel supply arrangements with Australia will bolster energy security by supporting the expansion of nuclear power in India.

Under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership the year 2015 has seen major achievements in the field of civil nuclear cooperation. The reaching of agreement on a bilateral civil nuclear cooperation agreement with Japan during Prime Minister Abe’s visit to India December 12 brought to a close five years of negotiation on this issue. This path breaking development was made possible by strong engagement at the level of leaders.

The implementation of the civil nuclear cooperation agreement with the US was put back on course when Prime Minister hosted President Obama in New Delhi early this year from January 25-27. Since then, the Administrative Arrangement for implementing the agreement has been signed and the India Nuclear Insurance Pool set up to implement the understanding on civil nuclear liability, which has addressed international and domestic concerns on India’s Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act of 2010. Commercial negotiations between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and Westinghouse for construction of six units of the AP-1000 reactor at Mithi Virdi, Gujarat are on course for finalisation in 2016.

Civil nuclear cooperation with Russia and France has also been taken forward during the year. During Prime Minister’s visit to France in April 2015, a MoU between Larsen and Toubro and Areva aimed at cost reduction by increasing localisation for the Jaitapur project in Maharashtra was signed. On December 22, during Prime Minister’s visit to Russia, a Joint Programme of Action for Localisation of Manufacturing in India for Russian-designed Nuclear Power Plants was signed. A minimum of 12 reactor units will be built with Russian collaboration.