Buoyed by the success of its fighter aircraft Dassault Rafale bagging India’s biggest ever defence deal, France is now hoping for success in the arena of nuclear power as well. It has once again assured India that the proposed nuclear reactors that are to come up in Jaitapur in Maharashtra will meet all nuclear safety concerns.
The assurance came from Dr Bernard Bigot, chairman of the French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission here on Wednesday.
Dr Bigot also met Srikumar Banerjee, chairman of India’s Atomic Energy Commission and secretary, department of atomic energy on Wednesday and presented him with a copy of the Safety Assessment Report of the EPR nuclear reactor.
The report has come after India raised concerns about the safety aspect of the EPR (European Pressurised Reactor) which are expected to come up in Jaitapur with French assistance, following the Fukushima melt-down.
Jaitapur has witnessed protests by the local population over the proposal to build nuclear power reactors there.
Dr Bigot sought to allay any fears there might be post Fukushima and said that a safety review of the 58 nuclear reactors in France has been done by the French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN).
He said that while the basic design of the EPR does not require any change, a sub-system with guaranteed safety will be needed. This, he said, won’t require any extra expenditure.
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Rafale info on new website
New Delhi: The French Dassault Aviation company — that has virtually bagged the multi-billion dollar MMRCA deal for acquisition of 126 Rafale fighter aircraft by India — has now decided to make its presence more visible by quietly launching a website that will make details of the aircraft and Dassault’s vision more accessible to Indians, reports our correspondent.