India and France are likely to move toward adding two nuclear power plants in India to meet its burgeoning energy needs as the countries’ leaders meet for talks Monday.
Visiting French President Nicolas Sarkozy is hoping to reach the deal that would be worth billions of dollars for the French company that would build the plants.
The political talks between Sarkozy and India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also are scheduled to include plans for the structural reform of the international monetary system through the Group of 20 countries, currently headed by France.
An agreement between French nuclear power company Areva SA and India’s Nuclear Power Corp. on building power plants in India is likely to be signed at Monday’s talks, said T.P. Seetharam, a top official in India’s political Ministry of External Affairs.
India is planning to build about 20 new nuclear power plants to help supply its burgeoning energy needs. India has 20 now and four under construction. India’s nuclear power industry is expanding rapidly to increase output from its current 4,500 megawatts to 64,000 MW by 2032.
Mr. Sarkozy, who arrived on Saturday, is accompanied by his defence, foreign and finance ministers and nearly 60 business leaders.
No defence agreements are expected during the visit, but Mr. Sarkozy is likely to push for French companies to win contracts to supply military hardware.
French companies are negotiating to upgrade 51 Mirage-2000 jet fighters in the Indian air force. India is also in the market to buy 126 fighter jets, a deal worth $11 billion, and about 200 helicopters worth another $4 billion.
According to defence experts, India is expected to spend $80 billion between 2012 and 2022 to upgrade its military.
Mr. Sarkozy is to visit Mumbai before returning home on Tuesday.
Keywords: India, France, Areva European Pressurised Reactor, Evolutionary Power Reactor, MoU, uranium and plutonium oxide
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