GE Hitachi inks nuclear deal with NPCIL, BHEL

GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) announced today the signing of two separate agreements with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India (NPCIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals (BHEL) as the companies prepare to collaborate on building multiple GEH-designed nuclear reactors to help meet India’s energy production goals.

Mumbai-based NPCIL is India’s only nuclear utility operating 17 reactors and New Delhi-based BHEL is one of India's leading manufacturer and supplier of power generation equipment and components.

The two government-owned companies are helping lead India’s efforts to expand electricity generation from nuclear energy in the world’s largest democracy more than tenfold over the next two decades, from 4.1 Giga Watts (GW) today to 60 GW by 2032.

Under the preliminary agreements, GEH will begin planning with NPCIL and BHEL for the necessary resources in manufacturing and construction management for a potential multiple-unit Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) nuclear power station. The 1,350-MW ABWR technology is the world’s only commercially proven Generation III reactor design, with the first two of four units entering service in 1996 and 1997 and four additional units under construction today.

"These agreements will extend our existing footprint in nuclear energy in India,” said Kishore Jayaraman, chief executive officer, GE Energy India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoUs) were signed after GEH executives recently led a US nuclear industry trade delegation to India to explore potential opportunities to partner with local companies on future nuclear plant projects.

The new agreements lay the foundation for cooperation between GEH and the two Indian companies as additional steps are taken by the Indian and the US governments to implement the agreement on civilian nuclear cooperation they signed in October 2008. These efforts, including adopting a civil liability law and other regulations, continue to progress. India and the International Atomic Energy Agency signed a nuclear safeguards agreement last month in Vienna, representing a critical milestone and sign of further progress towards full implementation of the agreement between the US and Indian governments.