The Indo-French agreement on the development of peaceful uses of nuclear energy enters into force today, giving a new impetus to the bilateral partnership envisaging multiform civil nuclear cooperation and paving way for companies to build atomic power plants in India.
The pact came into force after foreign secretary Nirupama Rao and French ambassador Jerome Bonnafont exchanged the instruments of ratification of the agreement between the two governments signed in Paris on September 30, 2008.
"In accordance with the provisions of the Agreement, it enters into force on the same day," a statement from the ministry of external affairs said here. Parliament of France, which was the first country to sign a civil nuclear cooperation agreement with India within days of lifting of the international nuclear trade embargo on it in 2008, ratified the agreement in November last year.
"As responsible States with advanced nuclear technologies, France and India intend to develop a multiform civil nuclear cooperation covering a wide range of activities including nuclear power projects, R&D, nuclear safety, education and training," the statement said.
"The entry into force of the Agreement gives a new impetus to the Indo-French partnership and will contribute to further strengthening the deep ties of friendship and long-standing cooperation between the two countries," the statement said.
The Indo-French nuclear agreement allows for reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel from French atomic reactors under safeguards, and gives an assurance of lifetime supply of nuclear fuel for these reactors. It does not bar the transfer of enrichment and reprocessing technologies.
France becomes the second country after Russia to give unconditional rights to reprocess spent nuclear fuel to India. The agreement makes it mandatory that reprocessing be done under the safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
