French firm EDF, which is to build six atomic reactors at Jaitapur, is looking to fast-track negotiations for an agreement with the NPCIL in time for French president Emmanuel Macron's likely India visit, and has proposed to take a larger role in the project.
Electricite de France and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India want to sign the General Framework Agreement (GFA) for the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant (JNPP) by the end of the year.
Macron is likely to visit India by the year-end and the two sides are working to speed up the negotiations so that the GFA could be signed during that time, an EDF official, who did not wish to be quoted, said.
An EDF delegation also meet officials of the Prime Minister's Office and the Ministry of External Affairs to discuss the issue.
The EDF is to build six reactors, each with a capacity of 1650 MW. When operational, the proposed plant, some 500 km south of Mumbai, will be the largest nuclear power generation park in the country.
Building a nuclear plant is usually discussed in terms of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC).
EDF has proposed to take care of the engineering aspect and a large chunk of the procurement of equipment which have to be sourced from abroad, the official said.
This position is different from what Areva, which has been taken over by EDF, had proposed when the negotiations had initially begun.
However, the EDF insists that the NPCIL should take care of the construction aspect as it has experience of building the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP).
The NPCIL, on the other hand, wants the EDF to take the full responsibility for engineering, procurement and construction as the evolutionary pressurised reactor (EPR) technology, that is to be used in the Jaitapur plant, is new to India.
A senior Indian government official, on condition of anonymity, said that the fate of the general framework agreement hinges on three aspects --- lower tariff, credit and a functional reference plant.
No call has been taken on the fresh proposal given by the NPCIL, the official said.
"Discussions are on between the Ministry of Finance and the French Treasury Department to resolve the issues related to credit. Some part of it will be in euros while the rest will be in rupees," the EDF official said.
The Flamanville EPR nuclear power reactor, which has been shown as a reference plant for the JNPP, is expected to be commissioned by 2018, the French official hoped.
EDF is constructing another EPR plant at Taishan in Guangdong province of China and it is expected to be operational by the end of this year, the official added.
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