The nuclear reactors of French company Areva will go into production first in China before being supplied to Jaitapur in Maharashtra. Areva will supply China two reactors that are under construction, said French Ambassador to India Francois Richier.
“You will see for yourself how safe the reactors are when they work in China,” he said to clear apprehensions on safety.
France is also going to build similar reactors in Jaitapur. He was speaking to members of the CII here in an interactive session.
The Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project in Maharashtra comprises 6X1,650 MW light water reactors to be built in cooperation with France to generate 9,900 MW of power. If built, it will be one of the largest nuclear power generating stations in the world by net electrical power rating.
Areva and Nuclear Power Corporation of India have signed a multi-billion contract worth around $9.3 billion for the project.
There is no French nuclear equipment or reactor in India. This will come in the future but is still in the concept stage, he said. This will lead to joint collaboration in future in nuclear energy, which will be critical for India’s power needs, he said.
Negotiations on supply of reactors for the Jaitapur plant are going on as several issues are stake. This includes the price of equipment and financial details of the project that is valued at close to $10 billion.
“It takes time, but we are confident that at the end, this will fly. It (deal) should be finalised in a matter of months, but how many, I do not know. But they (officials) are working hard,” he said.
Richier said that the reactors that are supposed to be supplied to Jaitapur nuclear power plant are ‘Fukushima resistant,’ provided some things are modified. “However, this no big deal,” he said.
France gets nearly 80 per cent of its electricity from nuclear power. And after the Fukushima incident in Japan, in which the reactors were damaged due to a Tsunami, the French government has decided to audit all its reactors on safety, he told newspersons on the sidelines of the meeting.
Maharashtra is in need of more electricity and nuclear reactors will provide it in bulk and cheap. Each mode of power generation comes with its own risks but nuclear power is the safest in the world, he insisted.
The Areva Group, which reported annual revenues of €9.342 billion for 2012, has delivered 98 nuclear reactors worldwide, and four of its EPR reactors are under construction at Olkiluoto 3 (Finland), Flamanville 3 (France), Taishan 1 and 2 (China), and one is planned at Hinkley Point in the UK.
On Tamil Nadu, Richier said that the State was a ‘hot spot’ for French companies to set up their operations. There are nearly 75 CEOs of French companies located in the State.
In India, France has a total investment worth $18 billion of which nearly 25 per cent is in Tamil Nadu, he said.
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