USISPF Official holds talks on nuclear energy with Maha ministers
Mumbai, May 21
Nolty Theriot, Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, US-India Strategic Partnership Forum, said they brought a senior delegation with some of the leading US nuclear companies, from the big reactor designers to across the entire nuclear energy supply chain.
Theriot, while speaking to ANI on Wednesday, said that they had a great set of meetings with the Minister of Power and Minister of Finance.
He said, "With our partners, the Nuclear Energy Institute, we brought a senior delegation with some of the leading US nuclear companies, from the big reactor designers to across the entire nuclear energy supply chain. We had a great set of meetings between government meetings with the Minister of Power, Minister of Finance... We had a great meeting with the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, and it was really about strengthening the partnership, looking for ways to create joint ventures... It gave us a good opportunity to get a better picture of the rules... The US has cutting-edge technology. India has an amazingly skilled workforce and efficient, cutting-edge EPC companies. So these partnerships are a win-win situation."
Earlier, US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor on Wednesday said "big things" lie ahead in India-US collaboration in the nuclear energy sector.
Responding to a post by Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis regarding a meeting with an executive delegation of the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the US-India Strategic Partnership Forum (USISPF) under the 'US Nuclear Executive Mission to India', Gor said, "Big things ahead in India-US collaboration on Nuclear energy!"
Fadnavis said that significant changes are taking place in the global energy transition process. Although Maharashtra has been making substantial investments in solar and wind energy for many years, nuclear energy will become essential for carbon-free and industrial-scale baseload power supply.
More than 40 per cent of India's total foreign investment comes to Maharashtra. Nearly 60% of the country's data centre capacity is concentrated in the Mumbai and Navi Mumbai areas. Sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, logistics, and advanced manufacturing are rising on a large scale in Maharashtra, which will lead to a manifold increase in electricity demand in the coming years.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Finally! We've been talking about nuclear energy for decades but not enough action. Maharashtra's push makes sense - if 60% of data centre capacity is here, we need reliable baseload power. Solar and wind are great but intermittent. Hope this translates into actual projects soon.
"Win-win situation" - that's the key phrase here. We have the workforce, they have technology. But I'm a bit skeptical about US companies after their record on cost overruns in nuclear projects. Remember Westinghouse's bankruptcy? Let's negotiate hard and protect our interests.
As someone living in Navi Mumbai, I can see the power demand growing every year. But what about the waste disposal? Nuclear plants produce radioactive waste that stays dangerous for thousands of years. Are we ready for that responsibility? 🤔 Hope our government has a clear plan for waste management too.
As an American living in India for work, this is exciting! Our countries can achieve so much together in clean energy. The Indian engineering talent is world-class, and US nuclear tech is proven. Let's hope bureaucratic hurdles don't slow this down like previous Indo-US nuclear deals.
Important step, but I wish we focused more on scaling up our indigenous nuclear program. Our own reactors like the PHWR have been reliable for decades. Why become dependent on US technology again? But yes, if it brings investment and jobs to Maharashtra, I'm cautiously optimistic.
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