The U.S. is keen on seeing the completion of the long-pending Westinghouse nuclear reactor deal for Andhra Pradesh, said its visiting Energy Secretary, Rick Perry, here on Tuesday.
However, Mr. Perry clarified it would be a new deal in which the U.S. manufacturer would be involved only in the supply of reactors, not in the construction of the power plants.
After launching the U.S.-India Strategic Energy Partnership along with Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan, Mr. Perry told presspersons that there had been “real progress” on discussions over the deal. But he did not commit to a timeline for the completion of the techno-commercial contract for 6 AP 1000 Westinghouse reactors, which has been in negotiations for nearly a decade.
“We will leave it to you to decide who the constructors are going to be. Probably you will find some good folks right here in India to build the structures yourself … The question is do you want the best reactors in the world, or brand X,” he said calling the Westinghouse reactors the “finest in the world”.
The deal for the reactors was one of two MoUs India signed in 2009 after the completion of the civilian nuclear deals. An “early works agreement” was signed between the NPCIL and Westinghouse in 2013.
Bouncing back
However, while one MoU with GE-Hitachi was abandoned over insurance liability issues, the Westinghouse deal faced its biggest problems from a near-bankruptcy last year, after which its parent company, Toshiba, sold it to a Canadian consortium.
“They had some challenges in their past, with business practices, but the bottom line is that’s all behind them. They are lean and mean and ready to get to work,” Mr. Perry said.
According to officials, Mr. Perry’s entourage had senior executives from Westinghouse, and his pitch for the company is part of a more aggressive push by the U.S. to increase exports to India to address the trade deficit.
No comments:
Post a Comment