Tuesday, April 4 2006 16:27 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Moscow: Russia's top nuclear energy official will visit India this week to review the progress in the construction of Kudankulam atomic power station and discuss the prospects of development of a civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries.

Sergei Kiriyenko, Chief of Russia's Federal Atomic Energy Agency (RosAtom) will be in India from April 6 to 8.

On April 6, he would reach Mumbai from Hong Kong to familiarise himself with construction of two VVER-1000 nuclear reactor units of the power plant being built by Russia in Tamil Nadu, RosAtom spokesman Sergei Novikov said today (Apr 04, 2006).

"During Kiriyenko's three-day visit, the heads of the atomic energy agencies of Russia and India will discuss prospects for the development of cooperation between the two countries in the field of high nuclear technologies and nuclear power engineering", he said.

First Indian visit by Kiriyenko

This would be the first Indian visit by Kiriyenko, former Russian Prime Minister under Boris Yeltsin, who was appointed Russian nuclear agency chief last year.

Russia eyes India as a major nuclear power partner and has expressed desire to build four more reactors at the Kudankulam, when Nuclear Suppliers Group lift curbs against New Delhi, a step flowing out of historic Indo-US nuke deal signed during President George Bush's India visit in March.

Russia recently supplied 60 metric tons of uranium pellets to fuel the two units of Tarapur Atomic Powers Station invoking safety clause of NSG guidelines.

In a recent interview, a senior Russian disarmament official called for making exception for India in the Nuclear non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) taking cognisance of her energy requirements.