Russia says near deal on two new Indian reactors

VOLGINSKY, Russia, March 21 (Reuters) - Russia's ability to restart
long-delayed work at India's Kudankulam nuclear plant has paved the way for a
deal with Delhi to build two more atomic reactors in the near future, Russia's
nuclear chief said on Wednesday.
The first two reactors at the plant in the state of Tamil Nadu were meant to
be operational last year, but work by Russian engineers was delayed after
protesters blocked access to the site following Japan's nuclear
catastrophe.
Work to launch the reactors restarted on Tuesday, however, after Indian
police arrested dozens of protesters.
"The resolution of the political dispute over the first two reactors paves
the road to sign the agreement on the third and fourth (nuclear) generators,"
Sergei Kiriyenko, the head of Russian state nuclear monopoly Rosatom, told
Reuters.
"The decision (on the third and fourth) reactors was linked to the launch of
the first and second generators."
Kiriyenko said Moscow was ready to sign the agreement with India on the third
and fourth reactors "starting tomorrow," adding he already had initial political
approval for the project despite the fact that talks have dragged on for
years.
However, he ruled out sealing the deal during President Dmitry Medvedev's
visit to India for a summit of the BRICS group of nations.
Russia is keen to cash in on its nuclear know-how and has ambitious plans to
triple nuclear exports to $50 billion a year by 2030. It possesses about 40
percent of the world's uranium enrichment capacity, and exports some $3 billion
worth of fuel a year, offering discounts to clients who buy its
reactors.
India meanwhile continues to suffer from huge electricity shortages which are
hampering its growth, and is therefore anxious to get more nuclear power
stations built as quickly as possible.
WORLD'S SAFEST NUCLEAR PLANT
Kiriyenko hailed the Indian authorities' decision to press ahead despite
domestic opposition to the project, saying the plant more than complied with
stricter safety rules brought in after the Fukushima crisis.
"There is nothing safer that this project compared to other plants across the
globe," Kiriyenko told Reuters.
Rosatom has argued that the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl more than 20 years
ago helped it hone its safety technology.
Kiriyenko did not say when the first two reactors at Kudankulam could go
online, stressing that the halt in construction meant additional checks would be
necessary.
"We need to carry out an inspection of the equipment that has been idle,"
Kiriyenko said. "This of course may take some time because we have put all the
equipment in storage."
India plans to add 64 gigawatts of nuclear power to its power generating
capacity by building 30 reactors by 2032. (Reporting By Alexei Anishchuk;
Editing by Alissa de Carbonnel and Andrew Osborn)