Washington and New Delhi on Wednesday announced the building of six United States nuclear power plants in India as part of an agreement to improve security and civil nuclear cooperation. The announcement follows a meeting between Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Andrea Thompson in Washington.
The joint statement did not specify any other details.
US President Donald Trump’s administration has been lobbying for a larger presence in India’s energy consumption deals. In October 2018, India and Russia signed a deal to build six more nuclear reactors at a new site in India.
The United States also reiterated its support of India’s membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group. The Nuclear Suppliers’ Group is a 48-nation body, which monitors and controls the export of materials or technology that can be used to create nuclear weapons. Admission of new members is done through consensus.
India had formally applied for membership in May 2016. Even though India has the backing of the majority of the group’s members, China has been blocking its entry into the bloc.
India is not a signatory of the Non-Proliferation Treaty. China has maintained that it will not support India’s entry to the bloc until there is a universal formula to accept applications from all countries that have not signed the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.
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