US to Remove Restrictions on Civil Nuclear Cooperation With India: Sullivan

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan speaks during a news briefing at the White House on April 24, 2024. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images

NEW DELHI—The United States will remove barriers to civil nuclear cooperation with Indian companies, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Jan. 6 during a two-day visit to the country.

Since the mid-2000s, the two countries have been negotiating on the supply of U.S. nuclear reactors to India. A deal signed by President George W. Bush in 2007 allowed the United States to sell civilian nuclear technology to India.

However, Indian liability rules require that the costs of any accident be borne by the company that builds the nuclear plant rather than the operator. This approach, which is not in line with global norms, has been a barrier to further U.S.–India nuclear cooperation.

“The United States is now finalizing the necessary steps to remove longstanding regulations that have prevented civil nuclear cooperation between India’s leading nuclear entities and U.S. companies,” Sullivan said at an event in New Delhi. “This is a statement of confidence in the progress we have made—and will continue to make—as strategic partners, and as countries who share a commitment to peaceful nuclear cooperation.”

Sullivan did not specify what changes would be made but said that “formal paperwork will be done soon.”

The United States placed restrictions on more than 200 Indian entities after India tested nuclear weapons in 1998. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List currently includes at least four entities under India’s Department of Atomic Energy, as well as some Indian nuclear reactors and power plants.

“This will be an opportunity to turn the page on some of the frictions of the past and create opportunities for entities that have been on restricted lists in the United States to come off those lists,” Sullivan said.

S.D. Pradhan, former chairman of India’s Joint Intelligence Committee and former deputy national security adviser to the Indian government, told The Epoch Times that civil nuclear cooperation between the two countries is much needed and can help India meet its clean energy needs.

R. Swaminathan, who has represented India at the International Atomic Energy Agency, told The Epoch Times that the Indian civil nuclear program is primarily based on pressurized heavy water reactors that use natural uranium with a very low percentage of uranium content. However, most nuclear reactors in the world are light water reactors using low-enriched uranium.

He said that he sees many opportunities for cooperation in this field that will support India’s bid for self-reliance.

Aparna Pande, research fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, also welcomed the development.

“However, it would need reciprocity from the Indian side—resolving the issue of nuclear liability and thus making it easier for companies to enter the field,” she told The Epoch Times.

Sullivan also met with Indian officials on Jan. 6 to reaffirm the two countries’ strategic technology partnerships, and he announced collaborations across sectors including semiconductors, biotechnology, cybersecurity, and space.

The U.S. Space Force announced a partnership with India last year to establish a semiconductor manufacturing plant in the country to produce chips for next-generation technologies used by the military branch.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris (C) greets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (2nd R) as U.S. President Joe Biden (R), U.S. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff (L), and U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan (2nd L) look on during a welcome ceremony on the South Lawn of the White House on June 22, 2023. Stefani Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images

Marc Cohen, a New York-based foreign policy analyst, told The Epoch Times that joint semiconductor ventures between Washington and New Delhi are especially important in light of a potential invasion of Taiwan by the Chinese regime, which could severely disrupt global semiconductor supply chains.

Pradhan said that deepening ties between the United States and India will boost Washington’s efforts to counter the Chinese communist regime.

“China will be concerned over closer ties with the U.S. if Trump brings peace in Ukraine,” he said, noting that Washington would then be able to focus on any threat from Beijing without being distracted.

Reducing Russian dependence on China is also in India’s strategic interest, he said.

Reuters contributed to this report.