Invite to the station: Russia expands localization of domestic technologies in India
Russia and India have agreed to localize a number of technological projects, Alexey Likhachev, head of Rosatom Corporation, told Izvestia. We are talking about working with composite materials, additive and quantum technologies, as well as nuclear medicine. Together with the prospect of building floating nuclear power plants and new power units at Kudankulam station, this strengthens bilateral cooperation between the Russian Federation and India, which was stimulated by the recent state visit of Vladimir Putin. What Moscow can offer New Delhi is in the Izvestia article.
Joint technological projects of Russia and India
New interesting details of the last visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India are emerging. In addition to negotiations at the level of the leaders of the countries, representatives of the largest companies that play an important role in bilateral relations also actively communicated.
In particular, Russia and India have agreed to localize technology projects. This is the third component of the republic's cooperation with Rosatom, which is designed to develop the country's technological sovereignty, Alexey Likhachev, the head of the corporation, told Izvestia. We are talking about composite materials, digital, quantum and additive technologies, and nuclear medicine.
— We are greatly expanding the agenda: we have agreed to localize other technological sovereignty projects in India. These include composite materials, digital, quantum topics, additive technologies, and nuclear medicine. In general, the construction of large power units, the new nuclear agenda, and, accordingly, non—nuclear technologies were a substantive conversation," said the head of Rosatom.
According to experts, Moscow and New Delhi really have promising areas for cooperation. Since 2022, work has been underway between the two countries to strengthen cooperation in the field of quantum technologies. The National Quantum Mission program was launched in India in 2023, and last year the budget was approved and its reference points were identified, Maxim Ostras, CEO of the Russian Quantum Center, recalled in a conversation with Izvestia. The countries participate in specialist exchange programs and engage in joint scientific research.
"Next year, we plan to take our cooperation to a fundamentally new level, which can be facilitated by India's chairmanship at the BRICS summit," the expert added.
Scientists in both countries have been able to achieve significant success in the field of Raman spectroscopy. This is a powerful tool that allows you to remotely explore complex organic materials and biological objects without disturbing the structure, which opens up a lot of opportunities in chemistry, materials science, biology and medicine, Andrey Naumov, head of the Troitsk Separate Department of the Lebedev Physical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, told Izvestia.
"The development of hypersensitive analytics using these technologies is one of the areas where our countries can help each other," the expert said.
Special attention is paid to solar energy. In particular, in India, the Khawda Park is being built in the state of Gujarat. Its capacity will be 30 GW, which is comparable to the capacity of all hydroelectric power plants in Russia. In this industry, Russia can help with its technologies in the field of creating materials for converting light into electricity, says Naumov.
Finally, another promising area of cooperation is medicine. It is no secret that India has serious experience in the creation of generics and pharmaceuticals, and Russia, in turn, with its strong medical scientific schools, can offer its own unique solutions, the expert is sure.
However, according to Academician Anatoly Petrukovich, Director of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, joint implementation of space programs by Russia and India will be useful. The Indian Venus orbiter Mission will include an instrument that is being created at the IKI RAS: it is designed to study the planet's atmosphere in the infrared range. The mission is scheduled to launch in 2028.
Cooperation between Russia and India in nuclear energy
Moscow has repeatedly recalled that the peaceful atom industry is considered key in the Russian-Indian partnership. "These are the most capital—intensive projects of our cooperation, and the most inspiring projects," admitted Alexey Likhachev. Russian Ambassador Denis Alipov also recalled Russia's potential in nuclear energy. "We jointly intend to continue and expand this cooperation with both large plants and small modular reactors," he said in November.
Indeed, on the eve of a large-scale visit to New Delhi, the Kremlin announced that Moscow was ready to share technologies for creating small nuclear power plants. Alexey Likhachev, of course, who was part of the Russian delegation, brought with him a proposal for small modular reactors. In the future, we may also talk about the construction of floating nuclear power plants in India.
The parties also agreed to involve Indian partners in the creation of a fourth-generation nuclear power plant, where plants not only safely produce electricity, but also make new fuel from nuclear waste. "A special working group has been established between the Ministry of Ports and Maritime Policy of India and Rosatom State Corporation, which, in fact, discusses all these issues," Likhachev said.
According to him, thanks to the large coastline and islands in the republic, "it is possible to localize shipbuilding competencies directly at the shipyards of India." In this case, it is likely that the Indians will build the ships, and Rosatom will provide nuclear reactors, Igor Yushkov, an expert at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation, told Izvestia.
— So India just wants to save money. They will take what is necessary in Russia, and they will build everything else themselves," the expert believes.
At the same time, the construction of the Kudankulam NPP in India remains the main object of cooperation between the countries in the nuclear energy sector. The contract between Russia and India for the supply of fuel for the third power unit has become the largest fuel deal in the history of the global nuclear energy industry — its amount exceeds $ 7 billion. The aircraft with the first batch arrived in the country on December 4, and start-up work on this unit is scheduled for 2026.
Kudankulam NPP is being built in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the south of the country. Power units No. 1 and No. 2 were commissioned in 2013 and 2017: they are now fully operational. "Their capacity is more than the nominal value — more than the declared 1 thousand. MW, and the Indians are very pleased with this. Year after year, we will introduce the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth Kudankulam power units," Likhachev explained.
One of the most interesting areas for cooperation is the thorium cycle, Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Doctor of Chemical Sciences, Academician Stepan Kalmykov told Izvestia.
— This is an alternative to the traditional uranium cycle, where thorium-232 is used as the main fissile material. This is a priority for India.: they have large reserves of thorium. Therefore, they are actively developing this technology and are already building a thorium reactor. Russia has accumulated significant competencies in this area, which can be useful," he noted.
According to him, the development of the technology of complete fuel reprocessing with the closure of the nuclear fuel cycle in India looks promising. Russian specialists can also help their colleagues here.
At the same time, an important outcome of our delegation's visit to the republic was the intention of Moscow and New Delhi to expand their partnership from nuclear energy towards the Northern Sea Route (NSR). The Russian Federation sees the potential to increase cargo transportation from Russian ports and back to India to at least 5 million tons, the head of Rosatom stressed.
In October 2024, the countries already discussed joint projects in the field of Arctic shipbuilding for the potential expansion of the volume of transportation along the NSR. In particular, the possibility of training Indian sailors in polar navigation was considered for these purposes.
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