New Delhi:
French nuclear giant Areva is likely to sign on Monday a framework agreement with NPCIL to build the first two of the six planned nuclear power reactors in Maharashtra.
Vienna convention to be respected for the Areva deal, French government sources said. French sources said that the Nuclear deal has reached a point of no return.
The agreement is expected to be inked in the presence of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and French President Nicolas Sarkozy, sources said tonight. Sarkozy is on a four-day trip to India.
Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is sourcing the two reactors of 1,650 MW each from Areva to be set up at Jaitapur in Ratnagiri district of Maharashtra.
An Early Works Agreement that is essential to start implementation of the 10,000-MW nuclear project at Jaitapur in Maharashtra will be part of the framework pact which will lay down broad rules for atomic cooperation.
Areva is expected to set up six reactors of 1,650 MW each at the site and MoUs been signed and clearances granted for the first two, the sources said.
The entire project to build the six reactors is expected to cost around $25 billion.
During the official talks with Singh tomorrow, Sarkozy is also expected to raise the issues relating to the civil nuclear liability legislation with the French side demanding legal security for the nuclear suppliers.
France became the first country to sign a bilateral civil nuclear cooperation pact with India on September 30, 2008, after the Nuclear Suppliers Group granted New Delhi a one-time exemption to resume global nuclear trade.
After visiting ISRO complex in Bangalore yesterday, Sarkozy noted with "delight" that a French company Areva would be setting up nuclear plant at Jaitapur in Maharashtra that would go on to produce 10,000 MW of "non-polluting" energy.
"Areva is becoming a key partner for Indian nuclear energy," he said.
In a media interview, Sarkozy also said discussions on the Areva agreement "were continuing and everything was being done" for a deal to be reached during his visit to India.