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The meeting reaffirmed the importance of energy and power cooperation as a key pillar of the India-
EU partnership. Both sides expressed their commitment to continued engagement, exchange of
expertise and deeper technological and institutional cooperation to support secure, resilient and
sustainable energy systems.

10. India and France Reaffirm Commitment to Power Sector Cooperation

Shri Pankaj Agarwal, Secretary, Ministry of Power, held a meeting in New Delhi with Mr. Bernard
Fontana, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, EDF, France, to review the ongoing engagement
between India and EDF on the proposed deployment of EPR reactors in India. The meeting was
attended by officials from the Ministry of Power, the Ministry of External Affairs, Central Electricity
Authority (CEA), NTPC Limited and NPCIL on the Indian side, and by officials of EDF and the Embassy
of France in India on the French side.

The discussions centred on the deployment of EPR technology, India's regulatory reforms for the
nuclear sector, cooperation on pumped hydro storage projects, and the way forward for a robust,
mutually beneficial partnership.

EDF apprised the Indian side of its efforts to build an ecosystem and supply chain in India for large-
scale localization, and reiterated that a sizeable programme with multiple nuclear reactors would give
suppliers confidence and enable economies of scale by leveraging Indian industry's capabilities.

Secretary (Power) briefed the French side on the progress made in finalizing India's regulatory
framework for the nuclear power sector, including the Draft SHANTI (Sustainable Harnessing and
Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India) Rules and Regulations, placed by the
Department of Atomic Energy in the public domain for stakeholder consultation. The Rules provide
for a streamlined, time-bound licensing framework and enable participation of private and foreign
partners in India's nuclear power programme.

The two sides also discussed cooperation on pumped hydro storage projects, building on the
proposed NTPC-EDF joint venture in this area.

11. New Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) Norms Notified

The Ministry of Power, Government of India has notified the new Corporate Average Fuel Economy
(CAFE) Norms for passenger vehicles, which will come into effect from 1 April 2027 and remain
applicable up to 31 March 2032. The new norms will apply to new passenger vehicles manufactured
or imported for sale in India.

The new CAFE framework will drive progressive improvements in fuel economy through year-on-year
tightening of targets across all five years. The fuel-consumption benchmark is tightened from 3.996

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