Kazakhstan wants India to build nuclear plants here

Ajay Kaul, Astana (Kazakhstan), Apr 15 (PTI) As part of enhanced
cooperation in civil nuclear field, Kazakhstan wants India to
build small reactors in this country and it has been agreed
that a feasibility study would be conducted in this regard.
Discussions on furthering civil nuclear cooperation
will be high on the agenda of Indian Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh who arrived here this evening for a two-day visit during
which the two sides are expected to sign an inter-governmental
pact in the field.
The two sides will also be looking at ways to step up
cooperation in the hydrocarbon sector when Singh and President
Nursultan Nazarbaev hold talks tomorrow after which a pact is
expected to be signed wherein ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) would
acquire 25 per cent stake in Satpayev oil block in the Caspian
Sea.
India views the visit crucial in political and
economic terms considering that Kazakhstan, a key Central
Asian country, has been a supporter and a reliable partner,
sources said as Singh arrived here from Sanya in China on the
second-leg of his two-nation tour.
Talking about energy cooperation, the sources noted
that Kazakhstan has been supplying uranium to India after an
MoU was signed in January 2009.
Kazakhstan has shown interest in India building small
nuclear reactors of the capacity of 230 MW in this country and
a feasibility study would be conducted in this regard, the
sources said.
At Saturday's meeting, the two leaders are also
expected to discuss the possibility of joint mining of uranium
in Kazakhstan, which is known to have one of the largest
reserves of the nuclear fuel.
There have been reports that Kazakhstan could consider
exporting processed uranium to India, which is welcome for New
Delhi as it would mean lesser freight in terms of quantity.
Among other prominent topics of discussion would be
stepped up cooperation in hydrocarbon sector, like Indian
involvement in downstream projects in Kazakhstan. Cooperation
in fertilisers is also expected to figure in the talks, the
sources said.
While both India and Kazakshtan have been keen to
forge closer cooperation, physical connectivity has been an
issue which they are working to develop.
In this regard, a railway network is proposed to be
built between Kazakhstan and India via Iran. Another route
being explored is that of China.
There could be discussions with regard to the proposed
Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline
which Kazakhstan is keen to join. The pipeline is intended to
carry gas from Turkmenistan and India could benefit by getting
it at its doorstep.
India feels that the project is feasible technically.
There are questions with regard to safety and security of the
pipeline as it will pass through Afghanistan and some parts of
Pakistan but sources said India does not see it as an issue as
such projects have survived conflicts in places like Congo and
Israel.
The main issue will be the quantity of gas available
in Turkmenistan, the sources said.
India is convinced that it will have to hedge the
maximum sources of energy, including TAPI, as the dependence
on West Asia is as high as 67 per cent.
With regard to the proposed Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI)
gas pipeline, India maintains that it has not been shelved but
two issues remained to be addressed which relate to assured
supply and physical security of the pipeline which will pass
through restive Balochistan province of Pakistan.
The sources insisted that the US had never told India
not to go ahead with the project although there have been
statements in the public.