Boris Shmelev, Director of Center of Relative Political Studies of Russian Academy of Sciences

– Russia is reliable partner, who meets all of its obligations

On April 8th JSC TVEL supplied the first batch of natural uranium pellets for India’s Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWR). 30 metric tons of pellets were delivered to Nuclear Fuel Complex in Hyderabad (India) for further fuel manufacturing for Rajasthan power plant. According to the contract signed on February 11th this year JSC TVEL is to supply low enriched uranium pellets for units 1 and 2 of Tarapur NPP, with BWR type reactors. The first batch of pellets delivery for Tarapur NPP is scheduled in summer of 2009. TVEL already supplied fuel pellets for this power plant on two occasions earlier.

In Feb 2009 Russia signed with India an agreement for the supply of fuel for Indian nuclear reactors and already now, in mid Apr, it has supplied the first batch of the fuel. This proves that Russia is a reliable partner, who meets all of its obligations, and that this cooperation serves the interests of both parties.

It should be noted that TVEL is supplying fuel for not only Soviet/Russian-design reactors. Thus, we continue our cooperation with India in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy and have quite good prospects here. Such cooperation is based on long-term geo-political interests and requires political confidence. All this shows that Russian-Indian partnership is gaining momentum and has quite good future. Despite its agreement with the Untied States, India is actively developing its cooperation with Russia, which proves that it regards the Russians as reliable partners.