Proliferation Press

Summary: Areva SA and General Electric are Big Winners—but Japan and Russia take a slice of the nuclear cake as well. And remember, America’s not only nation with an Indian nuclear deal.

From Bloomberg Asia:

Areva SA, the world’s largest maker of nuclear power stations, and General Electric Co. are among four companies poised to share $14 billion of orders from India as nations led by the U.S. prepare to lift a 33-year ban.

Toshiba Corp.’s Westinghouse Electric Co. and Russia’s atomic energy agency Rosatom will probably also win contracts to each build two 1,000 megawatt reactors, said Nuclear Power Corp. of India Chairman S. K. Jain. India will be able to purchase equipment after an Aug. 3 accord with the U.S. is approved by the 45-nation Nuclear Suppliers Group.

But, as the mention of Rosatom suggests, India has its own nuclear deal with Russia. The Bloomberg Asia continues:

India signed a similar civilian nuclear agreement with Russia in January. Russia is helping India build the two 1,000- megawatt light water reactors at the Kudankulam nuclear power station in the southern state of Tamil Nadu.

International sanctions against India were prompted by the nation’s testing of a nuclear weapon in 1974. The explosion conducted in a desert in western India prompted the formation of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Another round of tests by India in 1998 led to the U.S. choking trade with India by blocking the Export-Import Bank and Overseas Private Investment Corp. from guarantee loans to projects in India.

The U.S. removed the economic sanctions in 2001 after the Sept. 11 attacks to bolster support for its campaign against terrorism.