Senior officials of the Ministry of Power held a comprehensive meeting with French energy major EDF on Friday to review ongoing engagement on EPR reactor deployment in India. According to the latest press release from PIB Delhi, the meeting was attended by Shri Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Power, and Mr. Bernard Fontana, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, EDF, France, along with officials from the Ministry of Power, Ministry of External Affairs, Central Electricity Authority (CEA), NTPC Limited and Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) on the Indian side, and officials of EDF and the Embassy of France in India on the French side. The discussions centred on deployment of EPR technology, India's regulatory reforms for the nuclear sector, cooperation on pumped hydro storage projects, and the way forward for a robust, mutually beneficial partnership. As reported by ETEnergyworld, the government noted that the discussions are part of the broader India-France engagement on energy cooperation, with the two sides exploring nuclear power generation and energy storage infrastructure to support the country's evolving power requirements.
Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal briefed the French side on the significant progress made in finalising India's regulatory framework for the nuclear power sector. According to the latest press release, the briefing covered the Draft SHANTI (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) Rules and Regulations, which were recently placed by the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) in the public domain for stakeholder consultation. These Rules provide for a streamlined, time-bound licensing framework and enable participation of private and foreign partners in India's nuclear power programme. The proposed rules seek to establish a streamlined and time-bound licensing framework and facilitate the participation of private and foreign partners in India's nuclear power programme, as reported by ETEnergyworld. The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) last month issued the draft rules and regulations of SHANTI Act, laying out the regulatory framework for a wider nuclear power ecosystem, including private participation, captive nuclear generation, foreign reactor technology, licensing, safety oversight and nuclear liability.
The European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) is a pressurised water nuclear reactor designed and developed by EDF and Framatome. As reported in the latest meeting update, EDF apprised the Indian side of its efforts to build an ecosystem and supply chain in India for large-scale localization. The company emphasized that a sizeable programme with multiple nuclear reactors would give suppliers confidence and enable economies of scale by leveraging Indian industry's capabilities. This strategy reflects EDF's commitment to establishing long-term partnerships that benefit both countries through technological transfer and local manufacturing capabilities, with the French company reiterating that a sizeable programme involving multiple nuclear reactors would give suppliers greater certainty and enable economies of scale by leveraging the capabilities of Indian industry.
The discussions covered several key areas including India's regulatory reforms for the nuclear sector, cooperation on pumped hydro storage projects, and building on the proposed NTPC-EDF joint venture. As reported in the latest meeting update, the two sides also discussed cooperation on pumped hydro storage projects, building on the proposed NTPC-EDF joint venture in this area. According to ETEnergyworld, the discussions underline the broader India-France cooperation in nuclear energy and energy infrastructure, with both sides exploring opportunities to deepen industrial collaboration and strengthen supply-chain participation in India. These talks represent the ongoing collaboration between French and Indian nuclear energy companies as India moves ahead with regulatory reforms in the nuclear power sector, with both sides working towards a mutually beneficial partnership that leverages the strengths of both countries' nuclear expertise and industrial capabilities.
The developments come as India seeks to scale up its domestic civil nuclear capacity to 100 gigawatt-electric (GWe) by 2047. India's civil nuclear power expansion is expected to involve fleet-mode deployment of reactors, including indigenous 700 MWe pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) as well as foreign technologies such as light water reactors and pressurised water reactors. Industry executives believe the initial deployment is likely to rely largely on indigenous PHWR technology, while foreign reactor technologies could be deployed at a later stage, as PHWRs alone may not be sufficient to meet the capacity target. EDF is already working with India's state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India to develop next-generation reactors, including the Jaitapur nuclear plant with a proposed capacity of 9,900 megawatt-electric (MWe). However, the project has been stalled for years, with the expected high electricity tariff emerging as one of the key hurdles to its progress. Last year, India and France had signed a letter of intent on small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs), renewing interest among global nuclear majors including those from France, the US and Russia in India's nuclear power programme.
