MELBOURNE, Australia – Web Desk: Australia has decided to resume uranium exports to India, ending years of uncertainty despite a bilateral agreement signed in 2014.
According to the Associated Press, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced an administrative agreement on uranium exports following their meeting in Melbourne on Thursday.
The two leaders did not immediately disclose the volume of uranium Australia will supply to India or provide a timeline for the commencement of exports.
Although Australia and India signed a civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 2014, uranium exports were delayed over concerns that the material could potentially be diverted for nuclear weapons purposes.
Australia possesses the world’s largest known uranium reserves but does not operate nuclear power plants or maintain nuclear weapons. Instead, it exports its uranium resources to international markets under strict safeguards.
According to the report, India aims to generate 100 gigawatts of nuclear power by 2047 as part of its long-term clean energy strategy.
India is not a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Australia, an NPT member, had long refrained from exporting uranium to countries outside the treaty framework, making the latest agreement a significant development in bilateral energy cooperation.
