US to Build 6 Nuclear Power Plants in India - Statement
23:26 13.03.2019(updated 23:56 13.03.2019)
WASHINGTON (Sputnik) – New Delhi and Washington will ramp up civil nuclear cooperation by building six American nuclear power plants in India, a joint statement issued by the US State Department said on Wednesday.
"They committed to strengthening bilateral security and civil nuclear cooperation, including the establishment of six US nuclear power plants in India", the statement said upon conclusion of the US-India Strategic Security Dialogue.
The agreement came after two days of talks in Washington, Reuters reported. The Trump administration has been looking to sell more energy products to India, the world's third-biggest buyer of oil.
In 2005, then-US President George W. Bush and then-Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh announced their intention to reach a nuclear agreement. Following three years of negotiations, a landmark deal was signed between the countries, stipulating full civil nuclear energy cooperation.
India, Russia Ink First Offshore Collaboration to Build Bangladesh's First Nuclear Plant
With demand for electricity reportedly set to double in India over the coming decade, New Delhi is actively seeking ways to plug the gap.
Russia's Rosatom has been engaged in the construction of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant. The construction of the Kudankulam NPP was initially agreed by the Soviet Union and India in 1988, but the project remained in limbo for decades. The Nuclear Power Corporation of India and Russia's nuclear agency Rosatom launched a joint project to build the NPP in 2012. The first unit reached full capacity in July 2014. Unit 2 was first connected to India's national grid in August 2016.
In 2009, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India and French nuclear company Areva signed a memorandum of understanding on construction of a nuclear power plant in western India. If built, the 9,900-MW Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant would be the world's largest nuclear power generating station.
© Sputnik
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