NPCIL, Westinghouse to sign agreement tomorrow

ON BOARD PM'S SPECIAL AIRCRAFT: India's nuclear operator NPCIL and US firm Westinghouse are set sign an agreement tomorrow, paving the way for setting up an atomic plant in India.

Sources said the "pre-works" agreement between NPCIL (Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited) and Westinghouse has been approved by the Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) and would be signed by tomorrow.

"This is the first step. After this, there will be negotiations on commercial aspects, civil liability issues and technical matters," they said.

The NPCIL will require to seek certain clearances, including from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), the sources on board Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's special aircraft said.

Singh is sheduled to meet US President Barack Obama in Washington on September 27 where the two leaders are expected to discuss the implementation of the bilateral civil nuclear deal among other issues.

There was a major uproar in India last week over the agreement because of apprehensions that it entailed bypassing the Civil Nuclear Liability Law in place in the country by waiving the operator's right to recourse with the supplier.