Nuclear power in focus as Russia deputy PM meets Modi

New Delhi - India made it clear that it will stall cooperation with Russia

By C P Surendran

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Published: Wed 17 May 2017, 3:23 PM

Last updated: Wed 17 May 2017, 5:31 PM

Last week Russia's deputy Prime Minister,Dmitry Rogozin, had a meeting with the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. One of the important objectives of the meeting from Russian perspective was to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on the Kudankulam nuclear power plants. 
Kudankulam village in Tirunelveli in southern Tamil Nadu is where eight  nuclear power stations are located. These are a joint  Russia-India project, and India would invest US $3 billion, most of which would go to Russia. That agreement was signed in 2001, despite villagers' resistance.
At the time (2001) one of the tacit understandings was that Russia would help India to become a member of the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) which would make India's pariah status as a nuclear power legitimate. It would also enable India to access nuclear materials and technology and legalize the conversion of civil nuclear power to defense purposes. The NSG Group  is authorized to prevent nuclear proliferation by controlling the export of materials, equipment and technology that can be used to manufacture nuclear weapons. Therefore gaining membership in the group is important for India in keeping with its status as a rising power.
Pakistan is also trying to enter into the NSG group, and is backed by China in its efforts. Under an agreement on civilian nuclear co-operation signed between China and Pakistan in 1985, Beijing had agreed to help Pakistan in the construction of a nuclear power station at Chashma, which is now referred to as Chashma I. And the project underlines China's intimacy with Pakistan. 
Subsequently, China accepted a request from Pakistan for the construction of another nuclear power reactor at Chashma, to be called Chashma II. An agreement was signed under the overall framework of the 1985 framework. Says an expert: "At the time, the Clinton Administration had objected to this on the ground that the NSG restrictions would retroactively apply to Chashma II. Both Beijing and Islamabad rejected the US objection and pointed out that Russia was going ahead with the construction of the two reactors at Kudankulam. They went ahead with the construction and the Clinton Administration did not raise any further objection." Chashma III and Chashma IV are reportedly underway. 
Now with the rift widening between India and China on the one hand, and increasing cooperation between Russia and China on the other, India is not well positioned to jockey for membership. Russia's on future relies to a substantial amount on its relationship with China. Russia therefore is not as active in supporting India's membership into the NSG.
Which is the reason why India was reluctant to sign the Kudankulam MoU with Rogozin last week. In fact, India made it clear that it will stall cooperation with Russia and nuclear materials supplying countries if their backing is not forthcoming. It's in this context that nuclear plants 5 and 6 are now in an indeterminate status.
A source at Chennai Centre For China Studies asked : "While Switzerland and Mexico have joined the US in supporting India's bid to become an NSG member, China is still fighting it tooth and nail. What is China afraid of?" 
Modi's team has made it clear to Russia that India expects Putin to work on China.  The NSG is not as exclusive as it used to be. The 48-member club includes besides the big powers Denmark, Turkey and Slovakia.
Last week's meeting was held to prepare the groundwork for Modi's summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin early next month, according to the Times of India.  Moscow is now worried that without the MoU, there will be no real takeaway from the summit which is barely two weeks away. 
 The Modi government has been showing surprising toughness in its foreign policies. Last month it went against China's explicit wishes and  allowed the Dali Lama to visit Arunachal Pradesh, which according to China is a disputed territory; China also considers the Dalia Lama as an insurgent, fighting for Tibet's freedom.
Now with Rogozin, the Indian government's  new firmness is fully in evidence. India's position is that  without NSG membership in the next 1-2 years, India would have no option but to go for an indigenous nuclear energy program. India wants to shift majorly from fossil fuels to nuclear power.  The government recently stated in Parliament that it expects to raise nuclear power generation capacity to 15,000 MW by 2024 from the 4780 MW that it was in 2014.
The India government has been particularly hard on Russia because it believes Russia is the only big power which can leverage Beijing to soften its position on India's entry.
The MoU was to have signed at the BRIC ( Brazil, Russia, India, China) summit in Goa 6 months ago. It did not happen. Halfway into 2017, India continues to hold back  despite issues like pricing and technology being no longer issues.
 The Modi-Putin summer is just two weeks away. The nuclear energy cooperation between the two countries is one of the cornerstones of the relationship between the two countries.
It remains to be seen if Modi will return with positive Russian commitment to prevail on China.


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