Russia, India mull uranium joint venture

Russia and India could set up a joint venture to prospect and mine uranium, the head of Russia's state nuclear giant Rosatom said on Monday.

The joint venture might operate at the Elkon uranium field in Yakutia, Rosatom chief Sergei Kiriyenko was quoted by the Interfax news agency as saying.

Kiriyenko said the two countries might jointly build nuclear fuel manufacturing facilities in Russia and India.

He added that cooperation between Russia and India would not be restricted to fuel manufacturing and nuclear plant construction, saying nuclear power equipment manufacturing might also be localized in India.

Russia and India signed an agreement to construct up to 16 nuclear power units at three Indian sites during Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's visit to New Delhi last week.

Kiriyenko said earlier that 12 of the units, including the first two already under construction at the Kudankulam nuclear power plant in southern India, were to be built under a "road map" signed on Friday.

Source: Xinhua