[Reproduced below are two reports, which, apparently, give a much better account of the current status of the Jaitapur nuclear power project than the two posted earlier: < http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/prez-macron-sells-rafale-pm-modi-buys-china-antidote-top-10-developments-118031100371_1.html> and < https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/frances-macron-hard-sells-36-more-rafales-india-silent-on-deal/articleshow/63250850.cms>. (The mail is available at: < https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/greenyouth/7QcXHIkgW4g>.)
AA. <<"The two leaders reiterated the goal of commencing works at the Jaitapur site around the end of 2018, and encouraged NPCIL and EDF to accelerate the contractual discussions in that respect," a joint statement released after the delegation-level talks said. ***The EDF and the NPCIL is yet to agree on the cost per unit and the credit aspect*** [emphasis added], which France will give to India for building the plant in Maharashtra. ***Indian sources also said that unless the EDF is out of its financial mess, the NPCIL will not go ahead with a final contract or a General Framework Agreement with the French company*** [emphasis added]. Besides defence and space, nuclear energy is a key component of the Indo-French strategic partnership.>> (Excerpted from Sl. No. I. below.) BB. <<***All the nuclear power projects using the EPR technology currently under construction globally*** [emphasis added] - Hinkley Point in the UK, Olkiluoto in Finland, Flamanville in France and Taishan in China - are facing time and cost over-runs. ... ***But the more basic question for the Jaitapur project pertains to the cost of energy. Sources said the tariff could go up to Rs 8 or so unless the project gets cheap financing from the French or Indian government lending agencies. Even the Rs 7 per unit price cap will appear costly in public perception in the backdrop of solar and wind power tariff dropping to below Rs 3 per unit-mark.*** [Emphasis added.] Admittedly, solar and wind are intermittent energy sources as against nuclear power station. But it may be hard to manage public perception. Besides, ***the sources said, the "fear of the untried technology" still remains one of the key areas of concern*** [emphasis added]. This could have partially been addressed had EDF taken full responsibility of engineering, procurement and construction process. But the French company has so far not agreed to this and only inked a co-operation deal with Indian engineering-construction giant L&T for higher localisation of the fabrication process.>> (Excerpted from Sl. No. II. below.) CC. <<He (Sekhar Basu, Secretary, DAE) said the situation was similar (to that with Westinghouse Electric) with French utility EDF, which signed a preliminary pact in Jan. 2016 to build six European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) at Jaitapur, on India’s western seaboard. Long delays to the construction of an EPR in Finland have led to legal action. In France, work on an EPR is also running years late and the estimated budget has trebled to more than 10 billion euros ($11 billion). “***They have to sort out their financial issues before anything can come on the table,” Basu said. “We will not buy a reactor unless a plant is operating in their own country.”*** [Emphasis added.] (Source: 'Foreign suppliers urged to step up as India backs own nuclear design' by Douglas Busvine, May 18 2017, at < https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-nuclear/foreign-suppliers-urged-to-step-up-as-india-backs-own-nuclear-design-idUSKCN18E1AE >.) DD. <<The official press release, as regards the 14 MoUs/Agreements signed) says, as regards the "Industrial Way Forward Agreement between Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd, and EDF, France", just this: <<This agreement prescribes a way forward for the implementation of the Jaitapur nuclear power project.>> (Ref.: Sl. No. 11 at < http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=177257>.) That very much sounds pretty modest. More so, if one keeps in mind that the press release is also a part of diplomatic exercise, which customarily makes things look pretty good even in the absence of any real substance. ***So, all in all, the impression to the effect that as regards the Jaitapur project a decisive mover forward has now been taken as conveyed by some reports in the Indian media (ref.: e.g. < http://www.business-standard.com/article/current-affairs/prez-macron-sells-rafale-pm-modi-buys-china-antidote-top-10-developments-118031100371_1.html> and < https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/frances-macron-hard-sells-36-more-rafales-india-silent-on-deal/articleshow/63250850.cms>) does not appear to be in conformity with the cold facts of the case.*** Of course, one has got to watch out. The proposal is pretty much alive. That goes without saying.] I/II. http://businessworld.in/article/India-France-ink-pact-to-expedite-work-on-Jaitapur-nuclear-plant/11-03-2018-143017/ India, France ink pact to expedite work on Jaitapur nuclear plant 10 March, 2018 by PTI New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) India and France today inked an an agreement to expedite the Jaitapur nuclear power plant project, with the aim of commencing work at the site around the year-end. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron encouraged the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and EDF France to accelerate the contractual discussions for the project, which is yet to see a consensus on key aspects such as credit limits. The two leaders emphasised on the need for the project to generate cost-effective electricity, remain economical and competitive financing package from the French side with reliable, uninterrupted and continued access to guaranteed fuel supply for the lifetime of the power plant. They also agreed to further their collaboration on transfer of technology and cost-effective localisation efforts of manufacturing in India. "The two leaders reiterated the goal of commencing works at the Jaitapur site around the end of 2018, and encouraged NPCIL and EDF to accelerate the contractual discussions in that respect," a joint statement released after the delegation-level talks said. The EDF and the NPCIL is yet to agree on the cost per unit and the credit aspect, which France will give to India for building the plant in Maharashtra. Indian sources also said that unless the EDF is out of its financial mess, the NPCIL will not go ahead with a final contract or a General Framework Agreement with the French company. Besides defence and space, nuclear energy is a key component of the Indo-French strategic partnership. The Indo-French nuclear agreement was signed in 2008 and it was decided to build a nuclear power plant in Jaitapur, in coastal Maharashtra, some 600 km south of Mumbai. The power plant will have six reactors with a capacity of 1,650 MW each. Once installed, the Jaitapur project will be the largest nuclear power plant in the world, with a total capacity of 9,600 MW. The two sides also welcomed the understanding shared on the enforcement of India's rules and regulations on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages applicable to the Jaitapur project. "The understanding is based on the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act 2010, the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Rules 2011, and compliance of India's rules and regulations with the Convention on Supplementary Compensation for Nuclear Damage, ratified and notified to the IAEA," the statement said. In the past, the foreign players have raised concerns over the civil liability law in the country. Modi thanked Macron for France's leadership that led to India's membership of the Wassenaar Arrangement. He also thanked France for supporting India's membership to the Australia Group. India is already a member of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) and its membership for this control regime was also backed by Paris. France is one of the strong votaries for India's inclusion in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, a crucial export control regime of which New Delhi is not a member. However, India's membership bid is opposed by China. "In order to further strengthen global non-proliferation, France reaffirmed its strong and active support to building consensus among regimes' members on the issue of India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group, recognising that India's accession will add value to the aims and objectives of these regimes," the joint statement said. PTI PR ASK ASK Disclaimer: This story has not been edited by BW staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed. II. https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/india-france-ink-jaitapur-n-deal-but-tech-tariff-concerns-remain/articleshow/63249994.cms India, France ink Jaitapur N-deal but tech, tariff concerns remain Sanjay Dutta | TNN | Mar 10, 2018, 22:46 IST AFP photo NEW DELHI: Nuclear Power Corporation (NPCIL) and EDF of France on Saturday signed an agreement for building the 10,000-MW (megawatt) Jaitapur nuclear power plant, making India the fifth country to opt for the EPR (European pressurised reactor) technology that is yet to become commercially operational anywhere in the world. A statement issued by NPCIL said the agreement, signed to coincide with French president Emannuel Macron's ongoing visit, defines the project’s industrial framework, the roles and responsibilities of the partners and lays down a timetable for the next step. The agreement for the Jaitapur project billed as the world's largest nuclear power project with six EPR reactors comes even though questions over the untested EPR technology, project cost and power tariff as well as EDF's ability to complete the project on time remain unanswered. EDF is a French state-controlled company and is Europe's largest operator of nuclear power plants. The company last year took over the nuclear power equipment-making business of Areva, which had developed the EPR technology and was to originally build the Jaitapur plant, after it landed in dire straits. All the nuclear power projects using the EPR technology currently under construction globally - Hinkley Point in the UK, Olkiluoto in Finland, Flamanville in France and Taishan in China - are facing time and cost over-runs. Areva had signed the MoU for Jaitapur in 2009, with an estimated cost of $4 billion. In April 2015, Areva signed a pre-engineering agreement with NPCIL to examine the licensability of its EPR technology in India. The troubles for Areva began after it found few takers for its EPR technology as the world shunned nuclear power in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in Japan. The EPR technology is yet to become commercially operational anywhere in the world. But the more basic question for the Jaitapur project pertains to the cost of energy. Sources said the tariff could go up to Rs 8 or so unless the project gets cheap financing from the French or Indian government lending agencies. Even the Rs 7 per unit price cap will appear costly in public perception in the backdrop of solar and wind power tariff dropping to below Rs 3 per unit-mark. Admittedly, solar and wind are intermittent energy sources as against nuclear power station. But it may be hard to manage public perception. Besides, the sources said, the "fear of the untried technology" still remains one of the key areas of concern. This could have partially been addressed had EDF taken full responsibility of engineering, procurement and construction process. But the French company has so far not agreed to this and only inked a co-operation deal with Indian engineering-construction giant L&T for higher localisation of the fabrication process. -- Peace Is Doable -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Green Youth Movement" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to greenyouth+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send an email to greenyouth@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/greenyouth. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
