From Russia with love: 2 N-reactors

[Contrarian]

From Russia with love: 2 N-reactors


New Delhi: Even as India negotiates the intricacies of a bilateral agreement with the USA on civilian nuclear cooperation, Russia may consider offering two additional reactors to the Kudankulam nuclear power station during the forthcoming visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin, beginning on Thursday.

Mr Putin, chief guest of the Republic Day celebrations on Friday, will touch down on Thursday morning and drive straight to Hyderabad House to hold consultations with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Cooperation in the civilian nuclear sector is expected to feature prominently in the discussions. This will be the seventh annual summit between the two countries.

Mr Putin’s deputy and Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov, on Tuesday, gave indications that nuclear cooperation would feature predominantly in the talks. Both leaders may discuss the ways and means of convincing the Nuclear Supplier’s Group to end India’s

three-decade-old nuclear winter.

When asked whether Russia would offer more reactors to Kudankulam, Mr Ivanov said, “I cannot talk about the documents to be discussed about during the President’s visit. But the issue will be discussed and nuclear cooperation will continue.”

Kudankulam, located in Tamil Nadu, currently houses two Russian light water reactors of 1,000 MW each. Stating that construction work is going on in full swing, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) said almost 70 per cent of the civilian work is completed. While the first unit is expected to attain criticality this year, the second unit is likely to become critical in 2008.

For years, Moscow had been New Delhi’s trusted ally. In the past, it had come to India’s rescue by supplying fuel to Tarapur when other countries were unwilling to do so. In 2006, it had supplied fuel to Tarapur again. Among several agreements likely to be signed, there may be a protocol of intent on civilian nuclear cooperation.

Two more agreements that are likely to be signed relate to a global navigation satellite system and an agreement on launching the YouthSat — a satellite designed by students from India and Russia.

Stating that both the sides have work to do in expanding trade ties, officials referred to the work of a joint study group on ways and means to increase two-way trade to $10 billion by 2010. Cooperation in the oil and gas sectors also seem likely.

TALK TIME

*Nuclear cooperation to feature in talk

*Global navigation satellite

*Launching the YouthSat

*Work on for two Russian light water reactors

*Two-way trade

http://deccanherald.com/deccanherald/jan252007/national053332007125.asp

 

[Neo]

I'm confused now!
Earlier reports mentioned four reactors.

 

[Neo]

January 26, 2007

India to get four N-reactors from Russia

NEW DELHI, Jan 25: Russian President Vladimir Putin promised energy-starved India nuclear reactors and power plants after arriving on Thursday on a mission to rejuvenate ties with Moscow’s cold war ally.

India, racing to secure new sources of fuel to sustain its booming economy, welcomed Russian moves to help “in the expansion of our nuclear sector,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said after a signing ceremony.

“We appreciate Russian support,” said Mr Singh, after the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding in which Russia promised four more nuclear reactors for a flagship nuclear plant it is building in Kudankulam in southern Tamil Nadu — a state that already has two Russian 1,000MW reactors.

Nuclear energy security was emerging as the most important aspect of “our strategic partnership and we look forward to long-time partnership with Russia in this vital field,” Mr Singh remarked.

The symbolic highlight of Putin's two-day visit will come on Friday, when he is guest of honour at India's Republic Day celebrations — designed to show a close friendship still exists regardless of India's warming ties with the United States and other Western governments.

Hailing Mr Putin as a “special friend of India”, Mr Singh said that though there has been a change in the international situation during the last decade, Russia “remains indispensable to the core of India's foreign policy interests.” Moscow has said relations with India form “one of Russia's main foreign policy priorities.”

After touching down at an air force base outside New Delhi early on Thursday, Mr Putin was whisked off for a hectic day of talks with Mr Singh, ruling Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi, Oil Minister Murli Deora and Indian business leaders.

Aside from more reactors, Mr Putin, on his fourth visit to India since becoming president, promised Russian help in building nuclear energy stations in India.

The passage last year of a landmark US-Indian deal allowing New Delhi access to civilian nuclear technology after decades of isolation has unleashed an international race to supply to the Indian civilian nuclear energy market.

The United States, France and other nations have also been jostling for a slice of the action, though any contracts must await the approval of dealings with India by the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group, which regulates global nuclear energy trade.

Separately Mr Putin and Mr Singh called for a “weapons free outer space”, after China staged a satellite-destroying weapons test earlier this month. “Outer space should be absolutely weapons free,” Mr Putin said. India's prime minister said New Delhi also opposed “the weaponisation of outer space.”

China confirmed on Tuesday it had tested a satellite-destroying weapon but insisted its space programme posed no threat. Despite both Russia and India forecasting major defence deals, the visit has so far seen only a $250 million deal for joint production of fighter jet engines.

However, India's state-run Oil Natural Gas Corp and Russia's Rosneft Oil Co sealed a deal to jointly bid for exploration and refining projects in India, Russia and other countries.

Mr Putin also assured his support for ONGC taking a 20 per cent stake in Sakhalin-III project in far-east Russia, Petroleum Minister Murli Deora said.

ONGC has been lobbying furiously for such a deal.—AFP

http://www.dawn.com/2007/01/26/top3.htm

 

[A.Rahman]

From Russia with love: 2 N-reactors

Hope it dosnt comes with the chernobyl package.

 

[Contrarian]

Hope it dosnt comes with the chernobyl package.

It wont.

Yeah, its 4 reactors neo, the first post was an earlier report, the latest one says its 4 reactors, apart from that 2 reactors will have completed construction soon in Tamil Nadu as the first report mentions.