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Putin's Bombay visit to boost Indo-Russian nuclear energy ties

Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India's premier nuclear research establishment in Bombay on Thursday will give a significant boost to bilateral nuclear energy cooperation, officials said on Monday.

"His visit is like a blessing from the top for Indo-Russian nuclear ties," a senior scientist at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre told AFP.

Putin will be the first president of Russia or the former Soviet Union to visit BARC, which was set up by the Indian government nearly five decades ago and which also carries out nuclear weapons related research.

'We have been working very fruitfully with India in the atomic energy sector for a long time now, on peaceful nuclear technologies,' Putin told India Today magazine ahead of his visit.

He will spend almost two hours at BARC before leaving for the airport to board a plane for Moscow, ending his three-day visit to India. He is scheduled to speak to a gathering of senior scientists assembled at the BARC auditorium.

BARC ran Russian-language courses for more than 10 years after it was set up so that Indian scientists could access Soviet atomic energy journals and research publications.

BARC scientists said a team of Russian nuclear scientists, who are part of the Putin visit, visited the Indian-built Rajasthan Atomic Power Station on Saturday. "They wanted to see how we do a total replacement of the reactor's coolant channel. We showed them a film of the process and they were very impressed," said the scientist, who declined to be named.

Formal Indo-Russian nuclear co-operation began about two years ago with scientists from both countries carrying out joint experiments in various areas of nuclear science and technology. The showpiece of Indo-Russian nuclear co-operation is the Kudankulam atomic power station being set up by the Nuclear Power Corporation Ltd.

Both countries signed a formal joint venture agreement about two years ago to set up the 2,000 megawatt power station in Tamil Nadu.

The detailed project report of the power station is expected to be ready by the end of this year. According to the terms of the agreement, all major equipment and materials including fuel for the entire life of the power station will be supplied by Russia.

The Indian side will construct buildings, lay access roads and carry out other support activities. Officials said 23 top atomic energy institutions in Russia are now working on the Kudamkulam project report.

"The Russians have already submitted 37 packages of detailed drawings and specifications for the project," said an official.

The Kudankulam power station will have two pressurised heavy water reactors each of 1,000 megawatts capacity.

Reports on Monday said Russia was "lobbying" to get orders for four more pressurised heavy water reactors, each of 1,000 megawatts capacity, at Kudankulam.

'We have opted for the Russian reactors not only because there is transfer of technology involved and costs are lower, but also because it is tied up with other deals related to advanced defence spending, including possible help with a reactor for a nuclear submarine,' the Indian Express newspaper quoted one unnamed Indian official source as saying.

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