Ivan Vasilchenko, Deputy Chief Designer of Gidropress EDB

– We will be favorites in India for many more years

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.

I welcome the agreement for the construction of four more reactors at Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant in India and the protocol for supply of nuclear fuel worth $700mln to Indian NPPs signed by TVEL Corporation and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd.

As an expert on fuel, I would like these reactors to work on new Russian fuel, which has proved its worth. I can say for sure that reactors working on our fuel will have no problems with reactor core. This agreement is offering wide opportunities for improving the parameters of fuel cycles and transiting to longer fuel cycles and enhanced capacities – in short, all we are presently doing in Russia. I think that we will agree with the Indians on new fuel in the framework of the existing contracts. This is important not only for our company but also for TVEL as a supplier whom we help to do it all. That is, today, our joint task is to supply new fuel to the Eastern market.

We will be able to compete with the foreign companies that are appearing on the Indian market after the lifting of restrictions. We have all necessary capacities and substantial advantages: integrity of our reactors and safety of our fuel are guarantee of safe and efficient performance of our NPPs. Other suppliers will yet have to prove their efficiency. So, we have nothing to be afraid of. I am sure that we will face no force majeures: nothing can happen to our fuel and technologies as we have achieved very good results in this sphere.

As you may know India is planning to increase its nuclear energy capacities to 40GW and to spend almost 100bln EUR on nuclear energy. I think that we must not react painfully to possible loss of some part of the market. Alliances of foreign companies are normal. This notwithstanding we will be favorites on this market for many many more years, we will move forward and will demonstrate our advanced technologies and earn money.