India has identified five sites in different states for setting up new nuclear power plants with technology and fuel imported from countries with which it has recently signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements. Jaitapur in Maharashtra,Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu,Haripur in West Bengal,Chhayamithi Virdi in Gujarat and Kovvada in Andhra Pradesh have been selected for setting up Light Water Reactors,a government statement said on Friday. While the Jaitapur reactor would be built in association with Areva company of France,Kudankulam and Haripur reactors would be built with Russian assistance. The reactors in Chhayamithi Virdi and Kovvada would be built with US help. India has signed civil nuclear cooperation agreements with all these countries,as also with some other nations,after obtaining a special waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group last year that allowed New Delhis re-entry into international nuclear commerce. India is looking to substantially increase its nuclear power capacity and has plans to set up a large number of nuclear power plants in the next few years. Fridays announcement comes just a day after New Delhi notified its separation plan to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) declaring which of its nuclear reactors would be meant for civilian uses and which for military purposes. According to the notification,New Delhi has declared 14 of its 22 existing nuclear reactors to be for civilian purposes and therefore open for international safeguards.
