New Delhi:US nuclear major Westinghouse, overcoming troubles over bankruptcy and buoyed by takeover by a Canadian consortium, will hold talks this week with the Indian government. It hopes to finally implement an Indo-American agreement for setting up six nuclear reactors in Andhra Pradesh.
Westinghouse will limit its role to supply of reactor technology, allowing construction to be undertaken by appropriate Indian firm. It will debrief India on its current position and discuss loans from US Exim Bank and procurement of components from Japan and South Korea, it has been learnt.
When Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Washington last year, it was decided that Westinghouse which was proposed to set up six nuclear reactors in Andhra Pradesh, will supply technology while construction will be undertaken by a relevant Indian partner. The proposal to set up six nuclear reactors in Andhra Pradesh by US nuclear major Westinghouse figured in the Joint Statement after the Modi-Donald Trump summit last June.
Westinghouse was caught in a bankruptcy quagmire and there is no functional reference atomic plant — a pre-requisite to obtain permission from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the nuclear watchdog.
According to the initial plan, the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Westinghouse were scheduled to conclude a techno-commercial pact for the proposed plant in June last year but the US company’s financial troubles had slowed down the progress.
Source: The Economic Times