Konstantin Simonov, Director General of National Energy Security Fund

– Any such agreement helps us to expand into foreign markets

Russia and India have signed an agreement for the construction of four more reactors at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant and for cooperation at other sites. The agreement was signed in New Delhi during the official visit of President of Russia Dmitry Medvedev to India.

Any such agreement helps us to expand into foreign markets. We know that the development strategy of Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation envisages active efforts in the field of NPP construction abroad. We also know that we are making active attempts to make friends with India and to increase our trade turnover to $10bln in the coming years.

There are two circumstances I would like to point out. First, India is becoming the Untied States’ key partner in the region: the Americans have switched their attention from Pakistan to India and they will hardly be happy at the developing cooperation between India and Russia, particularly, in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy, as nuclear energy was one of the topics of the US-Indian negotiations.

Second, we must clearly decide how we will combine our domestic and foreign projects. I hope that Rosatom will shortly have more specific estimates as to how we will develop nuclear energy in our country. The point is that our plans are really ambitious, while resources are limited as they always are.

Competition in such sphere as nuclear energy is based on politics among other resources. Unfortunately, today oftentimes the politics dictate the rules of the game. Russia certainly has a number of advantages: our high-quality nuclear technologies, our many-year experience of cooperation, our personnel and, most importantly, the high interest of the Indians in cooperation in all directions of the nuclear fuel cycle. 

Thus, the agreement signed in New Delhi is one more successful example of Russia’s expansion into foreign markets. I hope that it will be carried through.