UK Cable: Govt Set To Allow Civil Nuclear Exports To India

28th Jul 2010 12:43

LONDON (Dow Jones)--Business Secretary Vince Cable Wednesday said the government plans to allow the export of the U.K.'s civil nuclear technology and expertise to India for the first time. The plan comes despite previous security concerns as India isn't a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Speaking in Bangalore, India, Cable said allowing the export of the U.K.'s civil nuclear technology would free-up business potential for firms like Serco Group PLC (SRP.LN) and Rolls-Royce Group (RR.LN), the BBC reported. "There are obvious security sensitivities. We are conscious of those, as are the Indians," Cable said. "But within those constraints we really want to push ahead with civil nuclear co-operation." Cable, who is in India as part of the U.K. government's delegation to promote trade-ties between the two countries, will meet Srikumar Banerjee, India's Secretary of the Department of Atomic Energy and Chairman of the Atomic Energy Commission, in New Delhi Wednesday afternoon. A U.K. Trade & Investment spokeswoman said the U.K. was keen to work with India after signing of a civil nuclear cooperation declaration in February. "The UK has considerable expertise in this area with 80,000 people working in civil nuclear and exports of around £700 million," she said. The U.S. sanctioned the export of civil nuclear technology to India in 2008. By Ainsley Thomson, Dow Jones Newswires; 44 20 7842 9318; [email protected] (END) Dow Jones Newswires July 28, 2010 07:43 ET (11:43 GMT)