French firm may sign pact despite protests
-
20/04/2011
-
Times Of India (New Delhi)
Paris: French energy group Areva expects to sign the commercial agreement with staterun Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) for supply of nuclear reactors by the middle of 2011 and is ready to answer any questions that Indian authorities may have over safety, its chief operating officer has said.
Luc Oursel said the company is taking into consideration lessons from Fukushima but no order has been cancelled or work stopped at any site post the disaster in Japan.
The French company signed an agreement for the construction of two nuclear reactors and supply of fuel for 25 years during the visit of President Nicholas Sarkozy to India last year.
There are six nuclear reactors which will be set up by NPCIL at Jaitapur in Maharashtra. But protests have erupted in Jaitapur over the proposed nuclear power plant and one person was killed in police firing on Monday. The protests by villagers who are opposed to the plant have raised doubts about the future of the 9,600MW project.