Framatome launches Mumbai base ahead of bilateral task force meeting

Framatome said its new base in Navi Mumbai underscores its strategic commitment to strengthening its presence in India and supporting India's goal of 100 GW of nuclear power capacity by 2047.

"Framatome has been present in India for years through local subsidiaries Jeumont Electric and Corys. We are delighted to expand our presence in the country as it embarks on a new phase of nuclear energy development," CEO Grégoire Ponchon said. "India offers a wealth of engineering talent and, to support our expansion, we plan to hire more skilled professionals, strengthening our team and capabilities in India and complementing our global strategy."

India currently has 25 operable nuclear reactors with an installed capacity of almost 9 GW which generate around 3% of the country's electricity. In addition, to advance its clean energy and decarbonisation, India has a pipeline of around 13 GW of nuclear projects under various stages of construction that will increase India's installed nuclear capacity to more than 22 GW, the company noted.

"Currently, we support Framatome's global projects by offering multi-disciplinary engineering capabilities in mechanical, process, electrical, and instrumentation & control domains," said Navnith Nair, CEO of Framatome India. "Beyond that, we are eager to collaborate with Indian utilities and partners, leverage our global expertise, and contribute to both existing plant life extensions and, in coordination with the EDF Group, new nuclear builds as the sector evolves."

Task Force meets

_{Vikram Misri and Anne-Marie Descôtes meet in Paris (Image: Indian Ministry of External Affairs/X)}

The Second Meeting of the India-France Special Task Force on Civil Nuclear Energy on 22 September in New Delhi was chaired by India's Foreign Secretary Shri Vikram Misri and Secretary-General of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs Anne-Marie Descôtes.

"During the meeting, both sides undertook a comprehensive review of the progress made over the past year through various meetings and consultations. They agreed to remain in close touch over various key aspects of bilateral civil nuclear cooperation. They reaffirmed the importance of engagement in emerging technologies like Small and Advanced Modular Reactors (SMRs/AMRs), as articulated by the Declaration of Intent on SMRs and AMRs signed in February 2025," India's Ministry of External Affairs said.

The Declaration of Intent was signed by French President Emmanuel Macron and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi after talks in France, with the two leaders issuing a joint statement in which they acknowledged "the India-France civil nuclear ties and efforts in cooperation on the peaceful uses of nuclear energy, notably in relation with the Jaitapur Nuclear Power Plant Project" - a proposed six EPR-unit plant in the state of Maharashtra.