Australia’s uranium exports to India get boost from new civil nuclear pact

Australia will gain an additional market for its uranium resources sector under a new civil nuclear agreement signed with India, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said, following talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Australia.

“The arrangement facilitates Australian uranium exports to India to help increase the share of non-fossil fuel power capacity, providing an additional market for the Australian resources sector,” Albanese said. The administrative arrangement under the India-Australia Civil Nuclear Agreement will enable commercial supply of Australian uranium for India’s civilian nuclear power programme.

Modi called the pact “an important agreement in the field of nuclear energy” that would “open the way for uranium supplies from Australia to India and give new impetus to our clean energy objectives.” According to India’s Ministry of External Affairs, the deal is expected to diversify India’s energy sources and support its clean energy goals under the SHANTI Act, which aims to expand nuclear power capacity while ensuring safe and responsible use of atomic energy.

The two countries also agreed to strengthen cooperation on critical minerals, with plans for a critical minerals corridor and the launch of the Australia-India Partnership on Cyber, Critical Technologies and Supply Chains.

The leaders additionally issued a joint declaration to deepen defence and security cooperation, including plans to connect defence startups through the India-Australia Defence Innovation Corridor.