Bringing some degree of clarity to the negotiations on the proposed Jaitapur nuclear power plant, France said construction of the European Pressurised Reactor (EPR) plant could start in less than a year’s time. Following the Fukushima nuclear accident and protests at Jaitapur, signing of a commercial agreement between French company Areva and India’s NPCIL was stalled. Chairperson of France’s Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission Dr Bernard Bigot, who is in India, presented Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) secretary Dr Srikumar Banerjee on Wednesday with the Safety Assessment Report prepared by the French nuclear safety regulatory authority (ASN). “The two sides are trying to work out a commercial contract as soon as possible. There is a process of price negotiations but we are on the road to reach an agreement quite soon,” Bigot told a media gathering. On his meeting at DAE, he said that public opinion has to be fully respected, and the two sides discussed how to build public confidence. Allaying fears surroundingEPR technology, Bigot said the SAR submitted to the French prime minister last month has cleared the technology of any doubts after severe stress tests. He said the EPR plants can withstand a Fukushima-like disaster. The EPR plants, he said, have a unique “core catcher” which completely seals the nuclear material against a leak even in the unlikely scenario of a meltdown. Plus, he added, the EPRs have inbuilt mechanisms that will ensure uninhibited power supply, even in case of a blackout. “We are waiting for the Indian Parliament to make its final decision. After we have that, we will see how it guarantees the expectations of the supplier,” he said.