Nuclear agreement

Wilmington, North Carolina-based GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy (GEH) has signed agreements with the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) as the companies prepare to collaborate on building multiple GEH-designed nuclear reactors to help meet India's energy needs.

Under the preliminary agreements, GEH will begin planning with NPCIL and BHEL what resources in manufacturing and construction management will be needed for a potential multiple-unit Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (ABWR) nuclear power station.

The 1,350MW ABWR technology is claimed to be the world's only commercially proven Generation III reactor design. In Japan, four ABWR units are in operation; another three units are under construction in Taiwan and Japan, and nine more units are planned in Japan. It is feasible that an ABWR plant could be built in the US and be commercially operational by 2012.

GEH also signed separate agreements with Mumbai-based NPCIL, India's only nuclear utility operating 17 reactors, and New Delhi-based BHEL, the country's leading manufacturer and supplier of power generation equipment and components.