Areva Activities in India

About 68% of India’s power comes from coal, 15% from hydroelectric power, 8% from gas and less than 3% from nuclear sources. Demand for electricity continues to grow and is expected to triple by 2020.

India must ensure a plentiful supply of low-cost electricity while taking into account 2 key points: the security of supply and risks related to climate change. One feature of electricity supply in India is the significant imbalance between supply and demand: only 40% of households have access to electricity, and the quality of service to those with access is often poor (e.g., fluctuations in voltage and frequency, frequent power outages).

India’s eleventh five-year plan (2007-2012) foresees a 5 time increase in production capacities before 2032, which means a progression from 153 to 778 GW of installed capacity.

• The Indian nuclear utility NPCIL already operates 19 units with a total installed capacity of 4780 MW and is currently building 7 more for a total installed capacity of 5300 MW.

• On September 30, 2008, France and India signed a bilateral agreement to collaborate on the development of peaceful applications for nuclear power, which will be ratified shortly.

In the area of renewable energies, India has significant development prospects in bioenergy, solar power and the hydrogen fuel cell. Installed capacity was just 1.4 GW in 2007, but the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy estimates a potential capacity of 20 GW.