Russian Nuclear Agency Chief Prepares For Serious Expansion With India

Ajit Kumar Mohanty, secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy, met with Alexey Likhachev, director general of Russia’s Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation, on Thursday to discuss ways to strengthen bilateral nuclear energy collaboration.

According to Rosatom, officials from both parties visited the site of the Pilot Demonstration Energy Complex (PDEC) under construction in Seversk, Tomsk area.

“During the joint visit, a full-scale discussion took place on the prospective areas of the Russian-Indian cooperation in the nuclear field”, the statement reads.

Alexey Likhachev, Director General of Rosatom State Atomic Energy Corporation.stated, “We are ready for serious expansion of the cooperation with India in the field of using nuclear energy for peaceful purposes”.

“This includes first of all, serial construction of the Russian-designed high-capacity nuclear power units at a new site in India, implementation of land-based and floating low-power generation projects, cooperation in the nuclear fuel cycle area, as well as in the field of non-power applications of nuclear technologies”, Likhachev continued.

Last week, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar stated that India is searching for alternative locations for Russian nuclear reactors.

Russia and India are working to build six 1000 MW nuclear reactors in Kudankulam, two of which have already been commissioned.

“Alexey Likhachev and Ajit Kumar Mohanty also discussed the progress of the joint Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project being constructed as per the Russian design in southern India, comprising six power units equipped with light-water reactors, each of 1000 MW capacity”, the statement continued.

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