After Russia, France operationalises nuclear accord

November 27, 2009 11:58 pm | Updated December 17, 2016 05:28 am IST - NEW DELHI

ON PAR: France's President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Amazon Summit in Brazil. A french law now authorises the cooperation agreement between India and France over the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Photo: AP

ON PAR: France's President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Amazon Summit in Brazil. A french law now authorises the cooperation agreement between India and France over the peaceful uses of nuclear energy. Photo: AP

France has become the second country after Russia to fully opertionalise the inter-country nuclear agreement with India.

The French National Assembly adopted a law authorising ratification of the Cooperation Agreement between India and France on the Development of Peaceful Uses of Nuclear Energy signed in Paris on September 30 last year. The Senate approved the same law on October 15 this year.

“The unanimous vote by both Assemblies is an important milestone in the development of the civilian nuclear cooperation between France and India. It will enable the early entry into force of the Agreement. It now paves the way for strengthening relations between French and Indian partners and for more concrete developments in the industrial field,” said a French Embassy release here.

“France and India are keen to build a multiform partnership. The strengthening of their civilian nuclear cooperation will contribute to economic growth and development, improve energy security and contribute to limiting greenhouse gas emissions,” the release said.

N-power park

India has allotted a nuclear power park at Jaitapur in Maharashtra’s Ratnagiri district to the French company Areva, to build two power plants initially with an option for setting up more. Both countries have also reached an understanding on guaranteed supply of uranium to power these reactors.

According to government sources here, France has agreed to reprocess the spent nuclear fuel from French reactors under safeguards.

Following an assurance given by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during their last summit meeting in Paris, France would not put hurdles to transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technologies provided it is done under the watch of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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