India’s nuclear energy law boosts scope for cooperation with France

INdia’s young jurisprudence to modernise the atomic vitality sector has opened the door for France’s state-run multinational EDF to engage with private Indian players to explore the setting up of nuclear power plants, people familiar with the matter said on Thursday ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France.Cooperation in defence, civil nuclear energy, technology and critical materials and coping with the economic and geopolitical fallout of the West Asia conflict are set to top the agenda for Modi’s visit to France beginning on June 13 to attend the outreach sessions of the G7 Summit and to hold bilateral talks with French President Emmanuel Macron.While India and France have engaged in discussions on cooperation in civil nuclear energy for many years, there were several challenges such as financing and the cost of electricity, but the passage of the SHANTI (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) Act had opened the doors for the participation of India’s private sector, the people said on condition of anonymity.The EDF Group is in “active discussions with all big Indian players wanting to enter the sector”, one of the people said. “We are beginning a new phase of discussions and hope to have a clear picture by the end of the year,” he said.Piyush Srivastava, additional secretary (Europe West) in the external affairs ministry, told a media briefing that civil nuclear energy is an area of strategic cooperation with France and with the passing of the SHANTI Act, both sides are discussing greater opportunities for the private sector, including in small modular reactors (SMRs) and advanced modular reactors (AMRs).India plans to increase its nuclear power generation capacity from the current level of 8.78 GW to 100 GW by 2047.Modi will make a week-long visit to France and Slovakia to participate in the outreach sessions of the G7 Summit in the French city of Evian and to hold bilateral meetings with the French and Slovakian leadership. He will also hold bilateral meetings with leaders of several G7 states and partner countries on the margins of the summit in Evian. New Delhi and Washington are exploring the possibility of a meeting between Modi and President Donald Trump, but there was no official word on it being firmed up.The people cited above said France is also looking to take forward discussions on India’s multi-role fighter aircraft (MRFA) project, which envisages the acquisition of 114 combat jets, under the framework of the “Make in India” initiative and there would be no difficulty in integrating Indian weapon systems into the fighters. They noted that France has a track record of strongly backing the Make in India initiative and consensus will be reached on the final agreement.Under the MRFA project, 18 Rafale jets are set to be supplied by French aviation major Dassault in a fly-away condition and another 96 will be manufactured in India with around 50 per cent indigenous content. The people said this deal will be different from two previous contracts to supply Rafale jets to India’s armed forces.The people further said about 12 new initiatives between India and France are expected to be unveiled during Modi’s visit. Modi will first travel to the French port city of Nice for a meeting with President Emmanuel Macron on June 14.They will inaugurate Bharat Innovates, a three-day event being held as part of the India-France Year of Innovation to showcase Indian technology ventures from higher education institutions and centrally funded technical institutes.Modi will travel to Slovakia for a state visit during June 14-16. The prime minister will return to France for the outreach sessions of the G7 Summit during June 16-17. In the final leg of the visit, Modi will visit Paris on June 18 for further bilateral engagements, and to attend the VivaTech Summit, Europe’s largest technology and startup event.Sibi George, secretary (West) in the external affairs ministry, told the same media briefing that Modi’s focus at the G7 Summit will be to highlight the priorities and concerns of the Global South. “The discussions will focus on the renewal of international partnerships and development solidarity, fostering shared and balanced growth and effective and efficient rollout of artificial intelligence. India’s regular participation at the G7 Summits reflects the increasing recognition of India’s role and contributions in addressing challenges to peace, security, development and environmental sustainability,” he said.Defence cooperation will also be a key part of Modi’s bilateral meetings in France and Slovakia, George said. Key priorities at the G7 Summit include reducing excessive macro-economic imbalances, renewing international partnerships, strengthening the resilience of critical mineral value chains, protecting minors online, settling major geopolitical crises, counter organised crime and illicit flows, and health.The West Asia conflict and the Russia-Ukraine war and their economic fallout, including on energy and food security, are expected to figure in the G7 Summit and Modi’s bilateral meetings. The G7 brings together seven of the most advanced economies — Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the UK and the US — and India, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya and South Korea have been invited to this year’s summit as partner countries. The European Union is also a member of the bloc.