India and France have reiterated their commitment to strengthening cooperation in the power and nuclear energy sectors, with discussions focusing on the proposed deployment of EPR nuclear reactors in India.

Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal met Bernard Fontana, Chairman and CEO of EDF, France, in New Delhi to review ongoing discussions between India and EDF. Senior officials from the Ministry of Power, Ministry of External Affairs, Central Electricity Authority, NTPC and NPCIL participated in the meeting, along with representatives from EDF and the French Embassy.

The talks covered the proposed deployment of EPR technology, India's evolving regulatory framework for the nuclear sector, cooperation in pumped hydro storage projects and the next steps for expanding bilateral energy cooperation.

EDF briefed the Indian side on efforts to establish a domestic ecosystem and supply chain to support large-scale localisation of nuclear equipment and services. The French company also highlighted that a larger programme involving multiple reactors could provide greater certainty to suppliers, support economies of scale and leverage India's industrial capabilities.

India briefed EDF on progress in strengthening the country's nuclear power regulatory framework, including the proposed SHANTI (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) Rules and Regulations. The draft framework is currently available for stakeholder consultation and proposes a more streamlined and time-bound licensing process, while enabling participation from private and foreign partners in the nuclear power sector.

The two sides also discussed collaboration on pumped hydro energy storage, building on the proposed NTPC-EDF joint venture, as part of efforts to expand cooperation in India's power and energy infrastructure.