The mega-nuclear power plant project built in India by EDF relaunched
A nuclear power plant in Uttar Pradesh, India (photo illustration).
XAVIER GALIANA / AFP
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
Will the largest nuclear power plant see the light of day in India?
This project has been in existence between the Asian country and France for more than a decade.
Despite the political will of the leaders, the obstacles tended to accumulate.
Alone in the running to supply the six new generation reactors, the French giant EDF announces that a crucial step has just been taken: a binding offer has been presented by the group to the Indian authorities.
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This step is considered a turning point because it is the first towards a final agreement between the French and the Indians.
But how long it was.
The first public announcement dates from the end of the 2000s. At the time, the Areva group was in the process, before transmitting the file to EDF at the same time as its nuclear activities.
The Fukushima disaster brought this project to a halt ... before it was relaunched during a visit by President Macron in 2018.
If the support of successive Indian governments has not wavered, criticism is fired.
Consequences on the seismic risks of waste management for the local fishery around the Jaitapur site in the state of Maharashtra.
Voices that are less heard today as the country has to manage one of the worst health crises in its history.
And that President Narendra Modi defends more than ever - he did it again at the climate summit this week - his goal of increasing his country's nuclear capacities nine-fold by 2032.
For its part, EDF promises that it does not sacrifice anything for safety and that the six EPRs would eventually cover the needs of 70 million people, preventing India from emitting 80 million tonnes of CO2 per year.
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