Times of India

PARIS, Sep 30: Following the waiver granted by the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG), France on Tuesday became the first country to sign a civil nuclear energy pMore Pictures
act with India.

This pathbreaking development brings down the wall keeping India away from nuclear technology and may act as a spur for swift closure of the 123 agreement with the US.

The agreement on the Development of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy' signed by Anil Kakodkar, secretary, department of atomic energy, and French foreign minister Bernard Kouchner at the Elysee Palace marks the unshackling of India from the denial regime forced on it after the first Pokharan test in 1974.

An official statement said, "This agreement will form the basis of wide ranging bilateral cooperation from basic and applied research to full civil nuclear cooperation including reactors, nuclear fuel supply, nuclear safety, radiation and environment protection and nuclear fuel cycle management."

Briefing reporters, Kakodkar said that under the agreement, India can, using its own technology and under IAEA safeguards, reprocess used nuclear fuel imported from France.

Though the agreement does not allow for transfer of reprocessing technology to India, the DAE head said this was only the beginning of a process of full-scale cooperation. "We have to be practical. We are happy with the agreement. India's electricity requirements are large and we need to enhance our energy generation. Nuclear technology, which is the cleanest source of energy, can be a crucial additionality and this agreement helps us with that," he said.

Just after the agreement was signed, a thrilled PM Manmohan Singh said, "Today we have added a new dimension to our strategic partnership by signing an inter-governmental agreement on civil nuclear cooperation. France is the first country with whom we have entered into such an agreement after the lifting of international restrictions on civil nuclear cooperation with India by the Nuclear Suppliers Group. I conveyed to President Sarkozy our gratitude for France's consistent support to our civil nuclear initiative."

The conclusion of the agreement should help the French nuclear industry, given India's interest in Pressurised Water Reactors. Kakodkar said that France, which meets 78% of its energy needs through nuclear energy, has made huge strides in PWR technology. India is also looking at European Pressurised Reactors being built as part of a German-French collaboration. French giant Areva is the market leader in reactors.

The DAE secretary said India will not be required to amend its Atomic Energy Act to engage in nuclear commerce. But he suggested that it may be a while before a whole lot of details — from licencing to techno-economic feasibility to localisation and configuration of reactors which will suit India most — are worked out.

With the India-US nuclear deal stuck in the US Senate, both Kakodkar and foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon evaded a direct response to a question whether India will wait for the signing of the 123 Act. Menon said, "This is a process. We are working out a parallel process with the US," he said.

The conclusion of the agreement with France is sure to enhance the anxiety of those working for the early ratification of the 123 deal, but should not necessarily disadvantage American companies. Besides the justified appreciation of US role in lifting of the nuclear apartheid, there are also indications that government will like to conclude agreements with both US and Russia before finalising the safeguards agreement. Doing so is a condition for India being able to start nuclear business with NSG members and the safeguards have to be signed with the International Atomic Energy Agency.

While the US role was crucial, France along with Russia helped India get the NSG waiver.

This was recognised by the PM in an interview to the well-regarded French daily, Le Figaro. Asked what role he saw French industry playing in development of India's civil nuclear energy programme, the PM said, "France and President Nicolas Sarkozy helped us a great deal in obtaining approval of the Nuclear Suppliers Group in order to enable us to develop our civilian nuclear industry. We will now implement full cooperation in this field within framework of a long-term global agreement."