Early in 2019, French President Emmanuel Macron will travel to India amid renewed efforts to build nuclear power reactors at Jaitapur in Maharashtra.
Macron will visit India in “early 2023,” according to French Minister Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, who announced at a meeting with India’s Minister of Science and Technology, Jitendra Singh.
The technical, financial, and civil nuclear liability concerns about the Jaitapur project would be handled as soon as possible by all parties, and well before Macron’s arrival, Mr. Singh assured the visiting minister.
India has announced plans to construct six 1,650 MW nuclear power reactors at Jaitapur in Ratnagiri, which may become the nation’s largest nuclear power station once completed with a 9,900 MW capacity.
According to an official statement, Mr. Singh and Zacharopoulou discussed strategies to hasten nuclear power reactors’ installation.
The French mission included Thomas Mieusset, the country’s nuclear counselor, and the ambassador of that nation to India, Emmanuel Lenain.
Last year, the French corporation EDF made a legally binding techno-commercial offer to build six European Pressurized Reactors for the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) (EPRs).
A high-level EDF delegation visited India this year and extensively discussed it with NPCIL representatives.
Mr. Singh and Zacharopoulou promised to resolve the outstanding difficulties as soon as possible. They reiterated their commitment to the crucial Jaitapur project’s success in providing access to dependable, cheap, and low-carbon energy.
As the owner and future operator of the plant, NPCIL will be in charge of the construction and commissioning of the units and obtaining all required permits and consents in India. An official statement added that this responsibility included certification of the EPR technology by the Indian nuclear regulator.
