New Delhi: India and Australia have signed a landmark administrative agreement enabling the export of Australian uranium to India for peaceful nuclear energy purposes, resolving a long-standing impasse that began with Australia’s refusal to supply the material in 2010.
More than 15 years ago, in 2010, the Australian government under Prime Minister Kevin Rudd firmly declined to sell uranium to India. The main reason was India’s status as a non-signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT). Australia, a major uranium producer and NPT adherent, maintained strict policies prohibiting sales to countries outside the treaty framework to prevent any risk of diversion for military use.
The policy shift began in 2011 when the Australian Labor Party voted to overturn the ban, recognising India’s commitment to peaceful nuclear energy and its separation of civilian and military nuclear programmes. This paved the way for negotiations. In September 2014, Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi signed a bilateral Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement in New Delhi. The pact entered into force in November 2015, formally allowing uranium exports under International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) safeguards.
However, practical implementation faced repeated delays. Administrative hurdles and lingering concerns over verification mechanisms stalled actual shipments for more than a decade, despite the framework agreement. India sourced uranium from other suppliers, including Canada, Russia, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan, during this period.
The breakthrough came on Thursday during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Melbourne. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Modi finalised the administrative arrangements to operationalise the 2014-2015 agreement. The deal will facilitate regular uranium exports to support India’s ambitious expansion of nuclear power capacity as part of its clean energy transition.
Officials from both sides emphasised that the uranium would be used exclusively for civilian purposes, with robust safeguards in place. The agreement is expected to strengthen energy cooperation and provide Australia with access to India’s growing market for nuclear fuel. It also reflects deepening strategic ties between the two nations, including collaboration through the Quad security dialogue.
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