The Indian Government has said the discussions on the units five and six of the Kudankulam nuclear plant are at the stage of internal approval and that the project is very much on track.
The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson on Friday rejected media reports that India might link the signing of the on hold the signing of the General Framework Agreement (GFA) of these nuclear power plants with India's membership in Nuclear Suppliers Group.
"The report is completely baseless, incorrect and mischievous. Discussions have been held on Kudankulam document. The process is at the stage of internal approval," Baglay said on Friday.
According to sources the GFA for Units 5 and 6 of the plant in Tamil Nadu has already been cleared by an inter-ministerial group and is awaiting a nod from the Prime Minister's Office, government sources had said. The issue of Kudankulam reactors was recently discussed during the India Russia Inter Governmental Commission meeting.
According to an October 2015 joint statement after a meeting between Modi and Putin, the two sides "reaffirmed" their intention to conclude the GFA and the Credit Protocol for Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KKNPP) units 5 and 6 by the end of 2016. However, due to differences over credit protocol among other reasons, the pact is still pending, sources said. Russia will be constructing total 16 reactors for India.
In August 2016, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin jointly dedicated the Unit 2 of the plant to "India-Russia Friendship and Cooperation" and witnessed the laying of the foundation concrete for the Kudankulam Units 3 and 4 through video-link.