NEW DELHI: India and Canada are likely to sign a commercial pact for supply of Canadian fuel to India's existing nuclear power plants during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-day visit to Ottawa next month. The two nations had signed the civil nuclear cooperation agreement in 2010 followed by the administrative arrangement in 2012. Ever since Canada's principal uranium producer Cameco has been holding commercial negotiations with Indian entities for supplying uranium to fuel nuclear power plants that has faced uranium shortage.

Diplomatic sources said that negotiations could be concluded soon and a deal might be clinched during Modi's Canada trip (April 14-16). The indication of the uranium supply from Canada came from the PM himself.

"We look forward to resuming our civil nuclear energy cooperation with Canada, especially for sourcing uranium fuel for our nuclear power plants," Modi posted on Facebook last Saturday. He also pointed out that Canada was also the first country to have completed requirements for a civil nuclear cooperation with India after New Delhi secured the waiver from the Nuclear Suppliers Group in 2008. Canada had backed the NSG decision to provide clean NSG waiver for Delhi and has been keen to re-enter India's nuclear market.

Canada has huge uranium reserves. It was the world's largest uranium producer for many years, accounting for about 22% of world output, but in 2009 was overtaken by Kazakhstan . Canada is India’s oldest foreign partner in the field of civil nuclear energy with the cooperation dating back to 1950s. It had supplied the nuclear reactor Cirus to India in mid-1950s under the Atom for Peace Programme for civilian use of nuclear energy. India’s indigenous nuclear reactors are based on Canada’s Candu (Canada Deuterium Uranium) reactors.The nuclear partnership was halted after 1974 nuclear test. Canada accused the Indian government of using plutonium produced in reactor provided by Canada and installed in the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre in Trombay for Pokhran I. Subsequently it stopped uranium supply and nuclear technology to India. However, with global acceptance of India’s civil nuclear programme, the two countries could also have joint research and development in nuclear energy to increase capacity of Pressurised Heavy Water Reactors of India. This announcement could also be made during Modi’s trip.Candu reactor is a Canadian-invented PHWR. Its first success was the sale of early Candu designs to India. There are Candu type reactors operating in Pakistan, Argentina, South Korea, Romania and China too.