The US energy company Westinghouse plans to sign a new agreement with the state-run Indian Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), to supply 6 nuclear reactors.
The United States has been discussing selling nuclear reactors to India since a 2008 treaty on civil nuclear energy, and the two governments announced last year their pledge to build 6 reactors.
Representatives from the US Department of Energy and Trade, Westinghouse, the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, and the Institute of Nuclear Energy met in India to hold talks with government officials as part of a trade mission to boost nuclear exports to India.
“We encourage Westinghouse and NPCIL to move forward in signing a memorandum of understanding. It is definitely a decision between the private sector and companies here and there,” said Rita Baranwal, assistant secretary-general of the US Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Office. “We are optimistic that a memorandum of understanding will be signed soon,” she added.
Once this is done, the two sides will begin contract negotiations, specify delivery times and choose suppliers. The plan for the new memorandum of understanding had not been disclosed.
Indian External Affairs Ministry spokesman, Ravish Kumar, said that Westinghouse and NPCIL are in talks to move forward with the project.
