Peaceful use of nuclear energy

India and Russia share a long history of cooperation in conventional energy which can be taken further towards non-proliferation

Gennady M. Evstafiev Moscow

Russian-Indian cooperation in the sphere of peaceful use of atomic energy is full of potential. Legally this bilateral relationship is covered by the Russian-Indian inter-governmental memorandum of October 4, 2000 which envisages the expansion of technical and economic cooperation in the field of producing atomic energy for peaceful purposes, building nuclear power stations included, creation of new nuclear-safe technologies from the point of view of non-proliferation of nuclear weapons, for improving the ecological situation and maintaining sustainable growth.

India, which in recent years has shown remarkable economic achievements, suffers from permanent electricity shortages. The amount of electricity produced at 14 Indian nuclear power blocks at present reaches only 3 per cent of total energy supply in the country. To fill the target of 10 per cent, Delhi has started a national programme aimed at vastly expanding its energy complex, with an investment of up to US$170 billion in the next few years. Eyeing this promising energy market are transnational giants such as General Electric, AES, Transpower Generation Corporation (all USA), Siemens (Germany), Rolls Royce and National Power (UK), China Power Generation (China).

The former USSR traditionally played a leading role as a reliable partner in the nuclear field, a relationship that was criticised by those interested in stepping in to fill the demand. India's request to supply nuclear fuel to the Tarapur nuclear power station (built incidentally by US firms) was not accommodated in 2001 by other countries, including the US, who cited the requirements of the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Russia decided in the interests of nuclear safety in India to supply Delhi with low enriched uranium worth US$23 million dollars thus saving Indian nuclear sector from a possible collapse. Moscow helped Delhi out, but it should not neglect its obligations under NPT and regulations of Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).

In 1992 NSG adopted a principle according to which any nuclear export is legitimate only when a receiving country has concluded special agreement with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on full-scale guarantees which means that all its nuclear activities are under monitoring of IAEA. This is not the case with India, which is also not a party to the NPT, a cornerstone of Russian Federation's policy on non-proliferation of nuclear weapons. The present cooperation of Russia and India in construction of two nuclear power reactors in Kudankulam is based on a bilateral deal, which was reached in 1988 well before the introduction of the above mentioned NSG principal. In this case Russia once again demonstrated that it is true to its agreements with India. There is every reason to believe that first nuclear power block at Kudankulam will enter into operation by the end of 2007. Of course, in exceptional cases connected with the necessity to secure nuclear safety of peaceful nuclear facilities in foreign countries according to the Decree of the President No. 312 (March 27, 2002) the Russian government has some room for manoeuvre in allowing certain nuclear-related material and equipment to be delivered to some countries which have yet to put all their nuclear activities under IAEA guarantees. At the same time with a purpose to create the necessary legal base for advancing the fulfilment of the Joint Memorandum on Understanding and Expansion of Cooperation in the Field