Overview

On 4 December 2011, Australia's ruling Labor party voted to end the country's ban on selling uranium to India, which means that Australia will be well-placed to feed India's increasing appetite for uranium.

India currently plans to build 63 nuclear power plants in addition to the 20 it already has in operation and to provide 25% of its electricity needs from nuclear power by 2025. It is expected that exports from Australia to India will be made subject to stringent conditions, including strict adherence to International Atomic Energy Agency arrangements.

In this briefing, Norton Rose outline how the change in policy will mean that exports of uranium from Australia to India will lead to better relations and greater trade between the two countries, and a potential surge in investment from India. In addition to providing an overview to the policy change, the article also studies the following areas:

• Australian uranium;


• International co-operation agreements;


• The nuclear supplier's group;


• Safeguarding agreements;


• Current Australian uranium export regulation;


• Federal labor party policy; and


• Further negotiation required.

To read on, click 'View Briefing'.