The United States and India are due to sign a civilian nuclear co-operation accord to end 34 years of US sanctions, BBC online reports Friday.
India will gain access to US civilian nuclear technology and fuel in return for inspections of its civilian, but not military, nuclear facilities. Critics say the accord effectively allows India to expand its nuclear power industry without requiring it to sign the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as other nations must.
The US restricted nuclear co-operation with India after it tested a nuclear weapon in 1974. US President George W Bush signed the accord into law earlier this week, after it had finally been approved by the US Congress.
India has 14 reactors in commercial operation and nine under construction. Nuclear power supplies about 3 per cent of Indias electricity. By 2050, nuclear power is expected to provide a quarter of the countrys electricity
The deal was first agreed three years ago and is regarded as a key foreign policy priority for both the Indian and US governments.
Although India has said it retains the right to conduct nuclear tests, the US has said the deal would be cancelled in such an eventuality. The Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) recently lifted a ban that had denied India access to the international nuclear market.
