Russia Proposes Possibility of Locating Nuclear Fuel Production in India
Moscow, August 24 (KUNA) -- Russia’s First Deputy Prime Minister, Denis Manturov, on Monday raised the possibility of localizing the production of nuclear equipment and fuel in India, alongside the construction of new power generation facilities, as part of Moscow and New Delhi’s efforts to strengthen their partnership in the industrial and energy sectors.
The Russian news agency TASS quoted Manturov as saying, “The accumulated experience from Rosatom’s execution of the Kudankulam nuclear power plant project in India provides a foundation for deepening cooperation,” adding that there is potential to develop new power generation facilities, including small-capacity units, and to localize the production of nuclear equipment and fuel in India.
Manturov made these remarks during the plenary session of the joint Russian-Indian intergovernmental commission for trade, economic, scientific, technological, and cultural cooperation in Moscow. The Russian side is chaired by Manturov, while the Indian side is led by External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
On the trade front, Manturov stated that bilateral trade volume between Russia and India rose by 8 percent during the first half of this year, noting that the growth encompassed both Russian exports and imports from India. He added that Moscow is not only seeking to increase trade volume but also aims to diversify its structure. Russian exports include fuel and mineral fertilizers, alongside expanding trade in agricultural and food products, machinery, metals, and wood industry products. Imports from India comprise pharmaceuticals, agricultural products, raw materials, equipment, and light industrial goods.
He also highlighted that the free trade agreement between the Eurasian Economic Union and India could serve as an additional factor to support the growth of bilateral trade, confirming that the agreement’s preparation has entered an active phase and that it is important to maintain the pace of negotiations between the two sides.
For his part, the Indian External Affairs Minister stated during the session that India and Russia aim to raise bilateral trade volume to $100 billion by 2030, noting that trade between the two countries reached approximately $60 billion in 2025.
The nuclear energy partnership between the two sides is longstanding, with Russia being a key partner for India in developing nuclear energy. A prominent example of cooperation is the Kudankulam plant in the state of Tamil Nadu. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs has noted that energy constitutes one of the main areas in the bilateral relations between the two countries.
The proposal to localize nuclear fuel production reflects a trend toward expanding cooperation beyond project execution and technology transfer, aiming to increase local manufacturing within India. This could pave the way for further industrial partnerships between Russian and Indian companies in the nuclear energy sector.
Moscow and New Delhi are exploring the expansion of cooperation across multiple economic and technological sectors within the framework of the joint intergovernmental commission, which serves as one of the primary mechanisms for managing commercial, economic, scientific, and technological relations between the two countries.
These moves come as Russia and India seek to strengthen economic ties, diversify trade and investments, and focus on enhancing the added value of industrial cooperation and developing joint projects in strategic sectors. (End) D.A.N./F.D.S.
