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Anne Lauvergeon, the only woman to have run a major nuclear company in the world (France’s AREVA), talks to Nayanima Basu on nuclear and other issues between the two countries. Edited excerpts:
What do you think of India’s Civil Liability for Nuclear Damages Bill, which has been under scrutiny and concern for countries that have entered a civil nuclear agreement with India?
France respects India’s laws and the Indian Parliament. Therefore, all French companies working in India will abide by India’s laws. This applies to India’s Civil Nuclear Liability Act. France is pursuing a dialogue with India on the implications for common projects.
The Jaitapur nuclear power plant in Maharashtra, to be jointly built by AREVA and our Nuclear Power Corporation, will only be commissioned on 2021. Is the delay going to be counterproductive for French energy firms?
Jaitapur, once completed, will provide India with 10 GWe (gigawatt electrical), which represents a sixth of the total nuclear capacity targeted by India in 2032. As honorary chair of AREVA, I can tell you the French nuclear industry is getting ready to contribute to the new orders it has received.
The India-European Union broad-based trade and investment agreement (BTIA) seems to be heading for a hiatus, with the EU’s insistence on getting more access in India’s insurance and financial services market. On the other hand, India wants the EU to recognise it as a data- secure nation. Do you think it will be successful?
The India-EU BTIA is an indispensable instrument to boost economic relations between India and France. It is true that the negotiations have undergone delays because of disagreements between the EU and India. Both sides are committed to move forward and it is India’s responsibility to obtain the Data Secure Nation status. As far as insurance is concerned, a bill is before the Indian Parliament.
You are on the board of some big companies like Vodafone and EADS … Can you shed some light on their India plans?
India is a big client of Airbus, the business is going strong.
But, Vodafone is in a tax trouble here …
Yes, but it also expanding and doing major business here. It is one of the topmost companies here.
During his visit here in February, President Hollande spoke about huge untapped potential in Indo-French bilateral economic relations. Do you think more needs to be done and where?
Do you know there are more than 350 French companies with 400 subsidiaries present all over India? And they represent a total investment stock of nearly $18 billion, a large chunk being devoted to R&D and innovation. France is therefore among the top investors in India, with a very intense and longstanding relation. In its Twelfth Five-Year Plan India has chosen to earmark more than $1,000 billion for infrastructure development and French companies can provide cutting-edge technology in this area – we have been massively investing in these fields for the last 20 years. We can also develop partnerships between different actors in India and in France, to build a mutually-beneficial “ecosystem” bringing together companies, laboratories, research centers and higher education institutions.
