Chennai: India and Russia are in discussions to collaborate on a range of activities including research on controlled thermonuclear fusion and joint development of the transit potential of the Northern Sea route, a top official of the state-run atomic energy corporation in Moscow, Rosatom, has said.
AE Likhacheva, CEO of Rosatom said the main topic of discussion with India was on the prospects of further cooperation in the field of nuclear technologies and in non-energy and non-nuclear areas. Likhacheva, who visited the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP) in Tamil Nadu last month, said both sides have gained enormous experience in cooperation during the construction of KNPP’s first units.
“Already, our cooperation extends beyond the borders of India. Indian companies are participating in Rosatom’s project to build the first nuclear power plant in Bangladesh – Rooppur NPP,” he told PTI. Additionally, Rosatom was developing a considerable number of new areas of activity –about 80 of them, and in many of them, it was ready to share its developments with friendly countries.
“Thus, we can offer the Indian side our competencies in the construction of low-power nuclear power plants,” he said. He was of the view that both countries have great potential for cooperation in scientific research, including on the topic of controlled thermonuclear fusion.
Likacheva said Rosatom was also ready to provide Indian scientists, the opportunity to conduct research at the MBIR multi-purpose fast neutron research reactor currently under construction in Russia. “This will be the most powerful research reactor in the world, it will open up unique opportunities for conducting a wide range of work on medical topics, research in the field of fundamental and applied physics, as well as in the interests of creating new materials,” he said.
