India, France To Jointly Develop Advanced Nuclear Reactors

India and France on Wednesday expressed an intent to jointly develop modern nuclear reactors, emphasising that nuclear power was crucial for energy security and transition to a low-carbon economy.

The two countries signed a letter of intent on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs), according to a joint statement issued after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.

SMRs are compact nuclear fission reactors that can be manufactured in factories and then installed elsewhere. They typically have a smaller capacity, of less than 300 Megawatts, than conventional nuclear reactors.

"Prime Minister Modi and President Macron stressed that nuclear energy is an essential part of the energy mix for strengthening energy security and transitioning towards a low-carbon economy. Both leaders acknowledged the India-France civil nuclear ties and efforts in cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, notably in relation with the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant Project. They welcomed the first meeting of the Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy, and welcomed the signing of a letter of intent on Small Modular Reactor (SMR) and Advanced Modular Reactor (AMR)," said a foreign ministry statement.

Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said the two countries discussed their strategic partnership in civil nuclear energy.

Mr Misri said the area of SMRs and AMRs has come up in recent times, but has progressed quickly. "The reason that you see a letter of intent is because both countries feel that there are real possibilities in taking this forward in the very near future," said Mr Misri.

"The idea on this particular front is to start cooperation because this is a technology that is still in its initial stages, even in countries which have been working on it for some time. Therefore, our intent is to be able to cooperate in co-designing the reactors, co-developing them, and co-producing them. This, we feel, will actually allow us to tackle the complications that we are, for instance, facing in other areas insofar as conventional projects are concerned," said Mr Misri.

"So if we, from the outset itself, get into co-designing, co-producing, and co-developing SMRs and AMRs, I think it can leverage the industrial ecosystem in India that already exists for nuclear components and nuclear power plants, and both of us will benefit from that," he added.

New Delhi and Paris renewed a memorandum of understanding between India's Department of Atomic Energy and France's Commissariat a l'Energie Atomique et aux Energies Alternatives of France, concerning cooperation with the Global Center for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP).

Both nations agreed to enhance collaboration in training and education for nuclear professionals.

India aims to generate 100 gigawatts of nuclear energy by 2047 as part of its transition to clean energy.

Earlier this month, the government announced plans to launch a Nuclear Energy Mission with a budget of Rs 20,000 crore to support research and development of SMRs.

As part of the initiative, India plans to operationalise at least five indigenously developed SMRs by 2033.

At present, nuclear power plants contribute 1.8 per cent of India's total installed power capacity of 462 gigawatts and around 3 per cent of total electricity generation. This helps save around 41 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.