No Nuke Deals In India Unless Liability Issue Is Resolved: U.S. Expert

WASHINGTON: American companies cannot have nuclear agreements in India unless the new government resolves the liability issue even though India represents phenomenal partnership opportunity for U.S. firms, a top American expert has said.

“There will not be nuclear deals in India unless and until the civil nuclear liability issue is resolved. And I am heartened that the Modi administration is beginning to come to terms with reform of liability. That would truly open up that market to U.S. reactor vendors in a big way,” Daniel Lipman, executive director of Supplier Programmes at the Nuclear Energy Institute told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing.

At the hearing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee on “The Future of International Civilian Nuclear Cooperation,” Mr. Lipman said India has plans to put out up to 50 nuclear reactors over the coming 30 years.

“But there are currently agreements in place and reactor deals that have been consummated with the Russians. At Kudankulam (Tamil Nadu) there are operating reactors of Russian design and there is a new set of units that have just been consummated with the Russians. Plus the French are in there,” he said.

“We need this civil nuclear liability protection. I’m certain that American companies just will not put their companies at risk,” Lipman said.

“What’s interesting, it’s not just American companies that get hurt. My view is so do Indian companies get hurt.

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