India-EDF Talks on EPR Nuclear Reactors and Pumped Hydro Storage
India and EDF, the French state-owned energy company, held talks on deploying EPR (European Pressurised Reactor) nuclear technology in India.
The discussions also covered cooperation on pumped hydro storage projects, a way of storing electricity by moving water between two reservoirs at different heights.
The talks build on India's ongoing nuclear sector reform, including the recently enacted SHANTI Act, 2025, which opened nuclear power generation to private and foreign participation for the first time.
Officials also discussed the long-standing India-France cooperation on the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant in Maharashtra, which is planned to use EPR technology.
Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant
The Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant is a proposed nuclear power project in Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra, planned to be one of the largest nuclear power stations in the world once complete. It is being developed as a joint effort between India's Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and EDF of France, using French EPR (European Pressurised Reactor) technology.
Today's talks between India and EDF on EPR technology deployment directly concern the reactor design planned for Jaitapur, alongside discussion of India's newly reformed nuclear licensing framework.
SHANTI Act, 2025: Opening India's Nuclear Power Sector
The SHANTI Act, 2025 (Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) is India's new main nuclear energy law. It replaced the Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, and for the first time allows private and foreign companies to build, own and operate nuclear power plants in India under licence, while sensitive parts of the nuclear fuel cycle (enrichment, spent fuel handling, high-level waste management) remain reserved for the government.
EDF's discussions with Indian officials on large-scale localisation of reactor manufacturing and supply chains depend directly on the licensing and liability framework the SHANTI Act now provides, which is why the two sides reviewed it during these talks.
Pumped Storage Hydropower
Pumped storage hydropower (PSH) is a way of storing electricity using water and two reservoirs at different heights. When electricity is cheap or in surplus, such as during the day from solar power, water is pumped from the lower reservoir to the upper one. When electricity is needed, the stored water is released downhill through turbines to generate power quickly, much like a rechargeable battery made of water.
The India-EDF talks on pumped hydro build on a proposed joint venture between NTPC, India's largest power company, and EDF, reflecting how nuclear and storage cooperation are being discussed together as India expands both baseload (nuclear) and flexible (storage) power sources.
- Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant: Ratnagiri district, Maharashtra; NPCIL-EDF joint development using EPR technology
- SHANTI Act, 2025: received Presidential assent 20 December 2025; opened nuclear power to private/foreign participation
- India's nuclear capacity target: 100 GW by 2047 under the Nuclear Energy Mission
- Pumped storage hydropower can respond within minutes, useful for balancing variable solar and wind generation