France-India To Cooperate on SMRs And AMRs
Last week India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was invited as the Guest of Honor at the Bastille Day Parade by President Emmanuel Macron. This year also marks the 25th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between India and France.
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Indo-French partnership, both countries agree to adopt a roadmap to set the course for the bilateral relationship up to 2047, which will celebrate the centenary of India’s independence, the centenary of the diplomatic relations between the two countries and 50 years of the strategic partnership. The roadmap covers a wide range of areas including strengthening energy security to meet climate objectives.
India and France welcomed the progress made during discussions related to the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Project (JNPP). They welcomed EDF’s proposal for training of civil nuclear engineers and technicians from India for deployment in projects with EPR reactors and look forward to an early conclusion of an agreement in this regard. In compliance with Skills India initiative, relevant French organizations will also work with Indian counterparts to strengthen training in nuclear field and encourage/facilitate internships for Indian students. Both countries also agreed to work on establishing a partnership on low and medium power modular reactors or Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs). The two countries will continue their cooperation on the Jules Horowitz Research Reactor (JHR) for the development of nuclear technologies and will enhance their exchanges.
Both India and France have already embarked on SMR intiatives.
NUWARD™️ : a PWR 340MWe power plant
In March 2023, EDF created a new subsidiary, NUWARD, to strengthen the development of its NUWARD™ Small Modular Reactor (SMR). In line with its objective to achieve First Nuclear Concrete in 2030 for its reference plant in France, after finalizing the conceptual design phase of the project, NUWARD now shifts to the basic design phase with the support of EDF Group and its partners.
The NUWARD plant will have a nominal power of 340 MWe from 2 integrated reactors of 170 MWe each. Modular approach and simple competitive design targeting 40-month construction duration for a Next-Of-A-Kind (NOAK). Multipurpose by design (H2, district heating, desalination, heat & electricity cogeneration, CO2 capture). The plant has been designed for export, allowing adaptation to multiple markets without significant re-design.
India working on small modular reactors
Recently, Indiana’s Minister for Atomic Energy, Dr Jitendra Singh shared that India is taking steps for development of Small Modular Reactors (SMR), with up to 300 MW capacity to fulfill its commitment to Clean Energy transition.
NITI Aayog, the public policy think tank of the Government of India chaired by the Prime Minister is now focusing on scale-up of nuclear capacity in the country through large reactors as well through new generation small modular reactors. Recently, on 16 May 2023 NITI Aayog organized a G20 Summit on Small Modular Reactors . In association with Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), NITI Aayog also released a comprehensive report on “The Role of SMRs in the Energy Transition”, detailing on the technology development, roadmaps , regulatory frameworks and increased private participation in nuclear sector. NITI Aayog considers that energy transition and net zero cannot be possible without nuclear making up a substantial portion of the energy mix.
EPR nuclear technology for India
The Jaitapur nuclear power project, located in Maharashtra, India, is a significant endeavor in the country's pursuit of expanding its nuclear energy capacity. With an intended capacity of 9,900 megawatts, it is poised to become the largest nuclear power plant in the world. The project is a result of a strategic collaboration between India and France's energy companies, and is set to employ state-of-the-art European Pressurized Reactors (EPRs). The Jaitapur project holds immense potential for India's energy landscape, as it will help meet the growing electricity demands of the nation while reducing its reliance on fossil fuels. Both countries have resolved several obstacles and currently negotiating the Techno-Commercial Offer (TCO) submitted by EDF to NPCIL in April 2021. Post acceptance of TCO, General Framework Agreement (GFA) and Financial Sanction of Government of India will follow the suit. So far, EDF and NPCIL have reached to an agreement on “Basic contractual scheme” for Jaitapur which provides a basic framework for the broad scope of work to be undertaken by program partners.
India Nuclear Business Platform 2023
Gain first-hand insights on the Indian nuclear market, business collaborations and partnership opportunities at the 4th edition of India Nuclear Business Platform (INBP) meeting in Mumbai this 10-11 October. SMRs will be a key are of focus during the conference. More information on this meeting is available here.
