This one move by the French electricity major has expedited the way forward to deepening and bolstering of the bilateral ties between India and France.
In order to build six EPR nuclear reactors at Maharashtra’s Jaitapur, engineering studies and equipment have been offered to be supplied by the French electricity major EDF Group.
Proposal Submitted To Maharashtra
A binding techno-commercial offer has been submitted by the EDF Group offer to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
The French Embassy in India said in a statement that the offer by EDF Group is a milestone for itself, its partners as well as the French nuclear industry. The Embassy said that the offer will enable discussions aimed at converging towards a binding framework agreement in the coming months.
NPCIL has previously provided information to EDF and its partners. Based on this information, an offer is submitted to NPCIL by EDF includes a detailed technical configuration of the reactors. Now, NPCIL has the responsibility to not only build and commission the six reactors but also obtain all the permits and consents from Indian authorities rests with NPCIL.
Most Powerful Nuclear Power Plant : French Embassy
The French Embassy said that with an installed capacity of 9.6 GWe, The Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant would be the most powerful in the world, generating up to 75 TWh per year and cover the annual consumption of 70 million Indian households. All of this while avoiding the emission of 80 million tons of CO2 per year. The embassy said that this project is a cornerstone of the bilateral cooperation between France and India.
The company said that during the construction of these six reactors, 25,000 jobs will be created. It would also create 2,700 permanent jobs. It added that the French industry will also be benefited during the 15-year long project.
However, plans to erect a massive nuclear power project are not new and were planned years ago also but were stalled post to several agitations over the last 15 years. The protestors include local people, as well as Shiv Sena, which is presently a part of the ruling coalition in the state.
The project was further delayed after an accident hit Japanese Fukushima reactor on 11 March 2011.