Russia’s state-run nuclear energy corporation Rosatom on Friday offered modern nuclear solutions ranging from large-capacity power units to small modular reactors to India at a trade fair aimed at creating new business opportunities.
During a tour of the trade fair, commerce minister Piyush Goyal and Russia’s industry and trade minister Anton Alikhanov were briefed on Russia-India cooperation in nuclear and related technologies by Kirill Komarov, Rosatom’s first deputy director general for international business. “We are the only foreign company constructing a nuclear power plant in India. During the Russia-India Business Dialogue, Goyal emphasised the need to move from agreements to practical industrial cooperation and encouraged Russian companies to develop manufacturing operations in India by leveraging the country’s industrial capabilities, skilled workforce and opportunities under the Make in India initiative.
Among the products offered by Rosatom is the VVER-1200 reactor, which is more advanced than the VVER-1000 reactors used at the Kudankulam plant. Komarov noted that India has set an ambitious target of increasing nuclear capacity to 100 GW by 2047 and said Rosatom is already making a practical contribution towards achieving this goal.
“Considering the scale of India’s target, we are ready to offer our partners a wide range of modern nuclear solutions, from large-capacity power units to small modular reactors,” Komarov said. Two units of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant are operating reliably, while four more are at various stages of implementation,” he said. Komarov also participated in the Brics Business Forum’s business programme, speaking in the main plenary session with the theme of “Strengthening the Russia-India trade and industrial partnership: Towards self-sufficient cooperation” and at the joint session with the Confederation of Indian Industry, “India-Russia: Business Cooperation, Strategic Partnerships and New Opportunities.
Rosatom MetalTech LLC, an enterprise of Rosatom’s Fuel Division, held a session on “Critical Minerals and Materials: New opportunities for industrial cooperation” where participants discussed industrial cooperation in the production of rare earth magnets, building consolidated demand for rare earth products, government support measures and investments for developing new production capacities.
