EDF and GE sign a strategic cooperation agreement for the planned construction of 6 EPRs in India

On the 26th of June 2018, Xavier Ursat, Group senior executive vice president of EDF in charge of new nuclear projects and engineering, and Andreas Lusch, President and CEO of GE’s Steam Power business, announced that GE and EDF signed a strategic cooperation agreement for the planned construction of 6 EPR reactors at the Jaitapur site, Maharashtra, India.

This agreement lays the foundations for a long term partnership concerning the construction of the conventional island* on each of the 6 reactor units. GE Power will design the conventional island for the Jaitapur nuclear plant and supply its main components. The company will also provide operational support services and a training programme to respond to the requirements of NPCIL, the Indian owner and operator of the future nuclear power plant currently under discussion. EDF will be responsible for engineering integration covering the entire project (nuclear island, conventional island and auxiliary systems) and will provide all the requisite input data.

EDF and GE Power will move forward with the work currently being performed to freeze the project’s technical options, fine-tune industrial arrangements between both companies and finalize the design-engineering and procurement schedule.

The signing of this strategic cooperation agreement is an important step in implementing the Industrial Way Forward Agreement which was signed with NPCIL on the 10th of March 2018. Under the terms of this agreement, EDF will supply EPR technology and will be responsible for building and coordinating industrial partners for this project.

GE Power is a long-standing partner of the EDF Group. The company is the main supplier of conventional-island components for many French power plants like Flamanville-3 as well as Hinkley Point C in the UK. GE Power has decades of experience and a manufacturing footprint in both France and India.

Statement by Xavier Ursat: “This strategic agreement marks the beginning of a new phase in the implementation of the world’s biggest nuclear project at Jaitapur. We are proud to be supported by an experienced partner whose expertise is widely recognised across the globe. This long term agreement with GE, underpinned by a synergy of combined skills and the convergence of our long-term strategies in India, is yet another promising brick supporting the future of this project which is essential for the future of India’s energy mix and for EDF”.

Statement by Andreas Lusch: “We are delighted to build on our long-standing partnership with EDF by signing this agreement related to Jaitapur. This represents 60 years of nuclear partnership between our two companies and demonstrates deep expertise in nuclear project development. GE Power also has a long history of helping India produce power and we’re pleased that our ARABELLE™ steam turbines** will be part of the solution to ensure reliable, CO2-free power for their growing economy.”