New Felhi (TIP)- Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Feb 12, wound up his “productive” France tour, with the two sides agreeing to co-develop nuclear reactors and deepen civil nuclear energy cooperation. A decision was taken to declare 2026 as the “India-France Year of Innovation” and a logo for the same was unveiled at the 14th India-France CEOs Forum, which PM Modi addressed on Tuesday. The two sides today signed a Declaration on AI, besides agreeing to speed up collaboration to develop the world’s largest museum, Yuge Yugeen Bharat, in the heart of New Delhi. In a special gesture of friendship, President Emmanuel Macron came to see off Modi, who departed to the US on Wednesday on the second leg of his two-nation tour. The two leaders exchanged a hug after day-long bilateral engagements during which they discussed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and key global and regional issues.
The letter of intent India and France signed on co-designing, co-developing and co-producing small modular reactors (SMR) and advanced modular reactors (AMR) was a major takeaway from the three-day visit that saw 10 outcomes across sectors of technology and innovation, civil nuclear energy, triangular cooperation, environment, culture and people-to-people relations.
Bilateral discussions happened aboard the French Presidential aircraft in which the leaders travelled to Marseille, over dinner later and were followed by delegation-level talks through Wednesday, which also saw PM Modi and President Macron jointly inaugurating the Indian consulate in the city. “India and France relations touched new heights literally as PM Modi and President Macron held discussions aboard the Presidential aircraft. These discussions continued upon landing in Marseille where the leaders were joined by delegations and discussions over dinner,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri later said.
On the SMR and AMR agreement, the India-France joint statement said, “The two sides stressed that nuclear energy is an essential part of the energy mix for strengthening energy security and transitioning towards a low-carbon economy. Both leaders acknowledged the India-France civil nuclear ties and efforts in cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, notably in relation with the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant Project.
“They welcomed the first meeting of the Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy and welcomed the signing of a letter of intent on SMR and AMR and the implementing agreement between India’s GCNEP, DAE and France’s INSTN, CEA for cooperation in training and education of nuclear professionals.”
India’s recent declaration to amend the Atomic Energy Act for enabling private entry in the civil nuclear sector will play a key role in advancing the India-France cooperation.
The agreement came a day after Fatih Birol, chief of the International Energy Association, told 300 world leaders at the Paris AI Summit that there was no AI without energy, specifically electricity. “If we get into co-developing SMRs and AMRs, we can leverage the industrial ecosystem in India that exists for nuclear power plants,” said Misri. The joint statement added that the two leaders underlined their common commitment to a free, open, inclusive, secure and peaceful Indo-Pacific region.
Source: TNS
India, France to co-build N-reactors; PM Modi wraps up ‘productive’ visit
