India, UAE ink agreement on operating nuclear plants in Gulf nation

India and the UAE have inked a pact that provides a framework for giving services for operation and maintenance of nuclear plants in the emirate.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Bhuwan Chandra Pathak, Chairman and Managing Director of the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL), and Mohamed Al Hammadi, the Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Emirates Nuclear Energy Corporation (ENEC) of the UAE.

The MoU was inked during the ongoing visit of Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to India.

Al Nahyan held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday.

"The MoU provides a general framework for the possible collaboration between the NPCIL & ENEC in the relevant fields, which inter alia include developing supply chains, sharing experience and providing services for Operation & Maintenance of Nuclear Energy Plants, providing nuclear consulting services, human resources development & training, research and development etc," a statement by the NPCIL said.

The NPCIL is a Public Sector Enterprise of the Department of Atomic Energy and operates all civil nuclear power plants in the country.

The ENEC is wholly owned by the Abu Dhabi Development Holding Company PJSC, which in turn is wholly owned by the government of the UAE.

"The signing of this MoU marks a significant step in the growing cooperation between India and the UAE in peaceful uses of nuclear energy," the NPCIL statement said on Tuesday.