Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron visited the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) facility in Cadarache on Wednesday, marking the first-ever visit by a Head of State or Government to the ambitious fusion energy project.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the leaders were welcomed by the Director General of ITER and were briefed on the progress of the project, including the assembly of the world’s largest Tokamak—a device designed to produce 500 MW of fusion power by creating, containing, and controlling burning plasma. PM Modi and Macron commended the dedication of engineers and scientists working on the project.
India has been a key contributor to ITER for over two decades, alongside six other members. Around 200 Indian scientists and associates, along with leading industry players such as L&T, Inox India, TCS, TCE, and HCL Technologies, are actively involved in the initiative.
Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri highlighted that both leaders held significant discussions on strengthening their strategic partnership in civil nuclear energy.
During the visit, PM Modi and Macron welcomed the signing of a letter of intent on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) and Advanced Modular Reactors (AMRs). Additionally, an implementing agreement was signed between India’s Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP), the Department of Atomic Energy (DAE), and France’s Institut National des Sciences et Techniques Nucléaires (INSTN), under the Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomique et aux Énergies Alternatives (CEA), for cooperation in nuclear training and education.
Addressing the media, Misri noted ongoing Indo-French collaboration on the Jaitapur nuclear power project, which involves technological, financial, and civil liability considerations. He also emphasized the rapid progress in SMR and AMR cooperation.
“This is still an emerging technology, even in countries that have been working on it for some time. Our goal is to collaborate in co-designing, co-developing, and co-producing these reactors, which will help address challenges faced in conventional nuclear projects,” Misri said.
Both nations also renewed their Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India’s DAE and France’s CEA to enhance cooperation through the Global Centre for Nuclear Energy Partnership (GCNEP).
(Inputs from ANI)
