Russia to start N-fuel delivery to India under $700m deal

Russia is to shortly commence the delivery of nuclear fuel to India under a $700 million deal reached with the Department of Atomic Energy.

A long-term contract was inked last month by the DAE and Russia's TVEL Corporation, one of the world's largest nuclear fuel suppliers.

A delegation of Hyderabad-based Nuclear Fuel Complex (NFC) today cleared the shipment of the first batch of 30 metric tonnes of uranium dioxide pellets to India, which would be used to fuel the Indian and Western-designed nuclear power plants in country.

According to 'Atomenergoprom' -- the mother organisation of TVEL Corporation, the protocols for the shipment of first batch were signed after the Indian experts had inspected it at the Machine-Building Plant in nearby town of Electrostal.

TVEL would also ensure life-cycle supply of fuel for the light-water VVER reactors of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in Tamil Nadu.

Russia is currently completing the assembly of first two VVER-1000 reactors with total 2,000 megawatt capacity at Kudankulam. Under a deal inked in December 2008 during President Dmitry Medvedev's maiden India visit, it will also build four more reactors to meet the growing requirements of the energy-hungry Indian economy.