The Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) hopes to commence its techno-commercial negotiations with the French company Areva for the Jaitapur nuclear project before June 2012.

Areva had signed a framework agreement with DAE last December to build six European Pressurised Reactors (EPR) for the Jaitapur nuclear power project in Maharashtra, which is set to cost Rs 1 lakh crore.

Dr Srikumar Banerjee, Secretary to the DAE, on Thursday, said that the department wants to start the negotiation at the earliest, but it has to wait for the safety revaluation of the Areva's European Nuclear Reactor design.

The French Nuclear authority, which will be doing the revaluation in the light of Fukushima accident, is expected to complete it by December.

After which it would be vetted by the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board of India, “Only then techno-commercial negotiations will commence with Areva. We want to start it as soon as possible,” Dr Banerjee said.

After the disastrous accident at the Fukushima nuclear plant in March, all the functional nuclear plants as well those under construction and design are being reviewed by the respective countries nuclear regulatory authorities.

Interacting with the media on the sidelines of the Indian Nuclear Energy Summit 2011, he said by 2017-18, when the plant could get operational, per unit power cost would be about Rs 4 said,

Protest against nuclear plants

Dr Banerjee said that in spite the protest at Koodankulam nuclear plant and at other plants by the local villagers, country's planned nuclear capacity addition will remain unchanged.

There could be delay due to the protest but it is not a significant one.

In major project sites such as Jaitapur in Maharashtra and Koodankulam in Tamil Nadu, the plant operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India, is facing protests on safety concerns due to the Fukushima accident.

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