India and Russia Tuesday discussed the contours of a fresh bilateral agreement to further their nuclear trade by setting up two additional units at the Kudankulam power project in Tamil Nadu, despite the first two units being virtually ready but not operational.
The matter came up for discussion at talks held by India's External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna and Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin, as part of the inter-session meeting of the India-Russia Inter-Governmental Commission.
"The two sides discussed the agreement for units III and IV of Kudankulam. The agreement is still in the work," India's ministry of external affairs officials said here to a question on the nuclear plant, which is facing protests from local anti-nulcear activists over its safety issues.
However, at the official joint press conference after their talks, both Krishna and Rogozin did not say anything about the Kudankulam agreement.
Though the agreement is almost ready, the two sides are still discussing if the nuclear liability law that India enacted in 2010 would be applicable to the new units at Kudankulam.
The units I and II, which are ready for operationalisation, do not attract the nuclear liability law as the agreements for the same were signed during the time of erstwhile Soviet Union.