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NEW DELHI: In an important takeaway from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s first official visit to India since the start of the Ukraine war in 2022, India and Russia on Friday decided to expand cooperation in nuclear energy, with the two sides discussing the possibility of building a second nuclear power plant with Russian-designed reactors.“The Indian side will strive to finalise formal allotment of the second site in accordance with earlier agreements,” said a joint statement issued on Friday.Modi and Putin confirmed their intention to broaden cooperation in nuclear energy, including fuel cycle, lifecycle support for the operating Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) and non-power applications, as well as a new agenda for engagement in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy and related high technologies.India currently operates two Russian VVER (Voda Voda Energo Reactor, i.e. water-cooled, water-moderated energy reactor) of 1 GW each at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu and plans to add four more such units there.India and Russia have been discussing a second site to set up six 1.2 GW reactors since 2016, but talks haven’t progressed due to legal constraints. The Kudankulam plant is currently the only one hosting foreign reactors as it predates the rollout of the liability law. The two sides also agreed to accelerate technical and commercial discussions on the VVER of the Russian design, research and joint development of NPPs, localisation and joint manufacturing of nuclear equipment and fuel assemblies for Russian-designed large capacity Nuclear Power Plants (NPPs), subject to terms and conditions as mutually agreeable.The talks on the second nuclear site have happened amid Modi govt’s plan to bring legislative changes in the atomic energy law in the current Parliament session to open up the sector to private nuclear operators. Till now, state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd remains the primary body responsible for the design, construction, operation, and maintenance of a majority of India’s nuclear power plants. The proposed changes aim to ease the sector’s current liability regime, which exposes suppliers to damage claims and legal suits — along with the operator.On the Kudankulam project, the two leaders “welcomed the progress achieved in implementation of KKNPP, including the construction of the remaining NPP units and agreed on adhering to the timeline for supplies of equipment and fuel”.The leaders noted that cooperation in the peaceful uses of nuclear energy is a significant component of the strategic partnership, given the plans of the Govt of India to increase India’s nuclear energy capacity to 100GW by 2047.
