Plans to build six Areva EPR units at a new nuclear plant in India took a step forward Thursday.
The government announced "in-principle" approval for locating the reactors at the proposed Jaitapur plant, the Economic Times reported. They will be built in cooperation with France.
The procedural step follows earlier environmental approvals and a $9 billion framework agreement reached with Areva in 2010 to build the first two units and provide fuel for 25 years, according to the World Nuclear Association. Construction was initially planned to start in 2013 with the first unit coming online in 2020. The six Generation III reactors at the plant will produce 9,600 megawatts.