France has offered to supply engineering studies and equipment for building six EPR nuclear reactors at Maharashtra’s Jaitapur
Bengaluru: In a further corroboration that India and France share a good bilateral relationship, the latter has offered to supply engineering studies and equipment for building six EPR nuclear reactors at Maharashtra's Jaitapur, reports Swarajya.
EDF Group has submitted a binding techno-commercial offer to the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), the website adds.
A statement by the French Embassy adds that the offer is a major milestone for the EDF, its partners and the French nuclear industry and will enable discussions aimed at converging towards a binding framework agreement in the coming months.
The deal also includes a detailed technical configuration of the reactors which has taken into account the information provided to EDF and its partners by the NPCIL.
However, it should be noted that the responsibility to build and commission the six reactors, and to obtain all the permits and consents from Indian authorities rests with NPCIL.
"The Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant project is a cornerstone of the bilateral cooperation between France and India: with an installed capacity of 9.6 GWe, the plant would be the most powerful in the world; it would generate up to 75 TWh per year and cover the annual consumption of 70 million Indian households while avoiding the emission of 80 million tons of CO2 per year," the statement from the French Embassy noted further.
The six reactors will create 25,000 jobs during the construction phase and 2,700 permanent jobs, the company said, adding that the French industry will also be benefited during the 15-year long project.
The nuclear power project was planned long ago, but it was stalled due to agitations and protests over it.
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