India, US sign pact for installation of first American nuclear reactor in India

The US firm Westinghouse Electric and the Nuclear Power Company of India Ltd., NPCIL have signed a preliminary pact for an Early Works Agreement, EWA for the installation of the first 1,000 MW American nuclear reactor in India under the historic 2008 Indo-US civil nuclear deal.The signing of the MoU, coincides with the third Indo-US Strategic Dialogue headed by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and External Affairs Minister S M Krishna.The MoU relates to negotiating an EWA supporting future construction of 1,000 MW nuclear power reactors at the Mithivirdi site in Bhavnagar district in Gujarat.

Additional safety features for India's nuclear plants: NPCIL

India's nuclear plants may soon get some additional safety features, including more provisions to add water to the reactors to deal with over heating of the core, a condition that led to the Fukushima nuclear accident. 

The measures are part of six recommendations made by four separate task forces set up by the country's nuclear plant operator NPCIL to study the capability of handling extended power loss scenario witnessed during Japan's nuclear crisis.