French energy group EDF took a key step towards helping to build the world's biggest nuclear power plant in India, a project blocked for years by nuclear events and local opposition.
The company said it had filed a binding offer to supply engineering studies and equipment to build six, third-generation EPR reactors in Jaitapur, western India.
Once finished, the facility would provide 10 GW of electricity, roughly enough for 70 million households.
Construction is expected to take 15 years, but the site should be able to start generating electricity before its completion.
EDF, which is in exclusive talks with Indian officials, would not build the power plant itself, but would provide the nuclear reactors in a deal that includes US partner GE Steam Power.
Although no financial details have been released, the contract is estimated to be worth in the tens of billions of euros.
It faced opposition however from local inhabitants since the idea was first floated around 20 years ago, and was delayed after the 2011 nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan. Earthquake risks and the potential impact on local fishing have been cited as key issues.
At present, there are 22 functioning nuclear reactors in India, most of them pressurized heavy water reactors, providing about three percent of the country's power.
Источник: India Today