Indo-Canadian civil nuclear deal on the cards
India and Canada will sign the civil nuclear agreement during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s forthcoming visit to Canada to attend the G-20 Summit in Toronto later this month.
The four-day visit commences on 26 June. The agreement will be signed after a bilateral meeting between Manmohan Singh and his Canadian counterpart Stephen Harper, who will be hosting a special dinner in honour of Indian Prime Minister on 27 June, official sources said. The two countries will also review their bilateral economic and cultural ties. “We hope to complete the prerequisite of the agreement before Dr Singh arrives in Toronto,” they said.
The agreement will allow Indian firms to export and import controlled nuclear material, equipment and technology to and from Canada, they added. India has already signed similar agreements with countries like the US, France and Russia. Besides uranium exports, Canada is pitching its 1,200 Mw e-class Advanced CANDU reactor as a good fit for the Indian nuclear programme due to its size and localisation potential.
“Negotiations have been concluded. There will be a bilateral cooperation in civil nuclear agreement. Canada is the biggest exporter of uranium in the world. Equally important is that we (India and Canada) are using the same technology and exploring the possibility of setting up nuclear power plants in third countries,” they said.
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