| Author (Person) | Beatty, Andrew |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.11, No.26, 7.7.05 |
| Publication Date | 07/07/2005 |
| Content Type | News |
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By Andrew Beatty Date: 07/07/05 The EU has thrown its weight behind India's bid to become the seventh participant in the €10 billion nuclear fusion programme known as ITER. According to the country's Foreign Secretary, Shyam Saran, India secured the EU's backing during a meeting in Brussels last week. Saran told European Voice that a formal application to join the project would now be made "as soon as possible". If successful, India will obtain a stake in ITER, the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, and with it access to a potentially lucrative technology which supporters say could produce an unlimited supply of clean energy. Russia, Japan, the United States, most of the EU, China and South Korea are the current participants. According to Indian diplomats, an EU team of experts has already travelled to India to assess how the country's scientists and facilities could contribute to the project. "They have seen that there are mutual benefits," said Saran. But India, like Brazil, which has also been mooted as a possible participant, will have to wait until the final agreement on the project is drawn up. "The international agreement needs to be made final, it should allow other countries to join or to co-operate," said Antonia Mochan, a spokesperson for the European Commission. India's bid will need the approval of all six current members, she added. The news comes just a week after the EU won the race to host the world's first fusion reactor, the keystone of the project. After months of wrangling between the EU and Japan, it was agreed that the site of the plant would be in Cadarache, southern France, with some ancillary offices in Japan. During his visit to Brussels, Saran also discussed EU-India co-operation on clean coal, which provides 50% of the country's energy, and the EU's backing for India's hydroelectric programmes, which to date the World Bank lenders have been reluctant to finance. Article reports that the EU was acting in support of India's bid to become the seventh participant in the €10 billion nuclear fusion programme known as ITER. |
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| Source Link | http://www.european-voice.com/ |
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| Subject Categories | Culture, Education and Research, Energy |
| Countries / Regions | Europe, Southern Asia |
