Russia, India sign nuclear-fuel deal

Russian nuclear fuel producer TVEL today signed a contract for fuel supplies to Indian nuclear power plants, making Russia the first country to sign a uranium enrichment deal with India over the past 34 years.

The contract, worth around $780 million, is the first contract signed by any country with India after the 45-member club of uranium producers lifted a three-decade ban on sales to the south Asian country on 6 September 2008.

A unit of Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom signed the contract with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India to deliver 2,000 tonnes of uranium pellets, both companies said.

Russia is the second country to sign an agreement for supplying nuclear fuel to India since the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group lifted a 34-year-old ban on nuclear commerce with the country on 6 September 2008.

However, it may become the first country to open nuclear commerce with India.

In December, French company Areva signed a deal with India's Atomic Energy Department for the supply of 300 tonnes of uranium to be used in Indian nuclear reactors under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards.

TVEL  includes some of the large Russian enterprises dealing with natural uranium mining, rendering services in fabrication, supply and scientific and engineering support of nuclear fuel operation at NPPs.

The corporation provides support for nuclear fuel operations at nuclear power plants in Russia, the CIS states and other countries and supplies to fuel to 73 commercial and 30 research reactors in 13 countries.

TVEL corporation enterprises fabricate nuclear fuel for water-water reactors (VVER-1000, VVER-440, PWR, BWR), uranium-graphite reactors (RBMK-1000, RBMK-1500, EGP-6, CEFR), fast neutron reactors (BN-600) as well as research and propulsion power installations.

The fuel contract is another step in burgeoning nuclear cooperation between Russia and India. On December 5, Moscow signed an agreement with Delhi to build an additional four reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, where it is finishing two reactors under an earlier contract, and construct new nuclear plants in India.

TVEL is one of the world's leading manufacturers of nuclear fuel, which it supplies to 73 commercial (17 per cent of the global market) and 30 research reactors in 13 countries.