“Historically, India has long been our key international partner. Two Russian-designed power units are already in operation at Kudankulam, with two more under construction. It was decided to open a regional center in Mumbai to increase Rosatom’s market presence in the region. The new center will enable us to join forces with our Indian partners and enhance the performance of Russian nuclear companies operating in India,” said Alexei Pimenov, President of Rosatom South Asia.
He pointed out that a global network of offices is in line with Rosatom’s long-term development strategy that provides for the expansion of its global footprint and sets an ambitious, yet achievable goal of increasing the international contract portfolio to 150 billion US dollars within the next five years.
Rosatom’s network of regional centers is managed and developed by Rusatom International Network, a Rosatom Group company. Along with India, the office in Mumbai will be in charge of the corporation’s projects in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Its task is to strengthen Rosatom’s current market position in South Asia and identify new growth opportunities for its nuclear energy and non-energy businesses. Similar centers have already been opened in Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern and Central Europe, Central Asia, Southeast Asia, North America and the Middle East.
At present, Rosatom collaborates with India on the Kudankulam construction project. Other plans are to build up to 12 Russian-designed nuclear reactors in the country.
However, cooperation between the Russian nuclear corporation and India is not confined to nuclear construction alone. In our last issue, we wrote about the agreement signed between Rosatom’s United Corporation for Innovations and the Indian Agricultural Association to develop a network of integrated infrastructural centers for radiation treatment. The document was signed on the sidelines of the BRICS Business Forum in New Delhi by the United Innovation Corporation on behalf of Russia and by HINDUSTAN AGRO CO-OP LIMITED Bharat Dhokane Pandurang on behalf of India.
The project provides for a stepwise establishment and development of a network of integrated infrastructural irradiation centers in India to be managed by a joint Russian-Indian venture. The first phase of the project includes construction and commissioning of 7 radiation treatment centers in India. As part of bilateral cooperation, the parties consider opportunities to extend a network of integrated irradiation centers into the UAE, Republic of Mauritius and Malaysia. Irradiation doses are recommended by the IAEA, so that the final product is absolutely safe. Irradiation does not reduce the nutritional value of food products and does not change their taste or appearance.
