Russia delivers first batch of nuclear fuel to India

MOSCOW: Russia's TVEL, a subsidiary of state-controlled nuclear power company Atomenergoprom, has delivered its first shipment of nuclear fuel for Indian heavy-water reactors, the company said on Friday.

"Thirty metric tonnes of pellets were delivered to the nuclear fuel complex in Hyderabad (in India) for further conversion into fuel for the Rajasthan nuclear power plant," the company said.

In line with a $700 million contract signed Feb 11 with New Delhi on fuel supplies to Indian nuclear power plants, Russia is to supply India with 2,000 metric tonnes of uranium pellets.

The fuel contract is another step in burgeoning nuclear cooperation between Russia and India.

On Dec 5 last year, Moscow signed an agreement with New Delhi to build an additional four reactors for the Kudankulam nuclear power plant, where it is finishing two reactors under an earlier contract, and construct new nuclear plants in India.

TVEL is one of the world's leading manufacturers of nuclear fuel, which it supplies to 73 commercial and 30 research reactors in 13 countries.