- Exports will fall under safeguards set by the IAEA.
- Two nations to build a “temporary space tracking terminal.”
- Albanese praises Modi’s leadership for helping forge stronger ties.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he struck a uranium supply deal while visiting Australia on Thursday to secure a fuel source that will play a crucial role in his nation’s nuclear energy ambitions.
Faced with an almost insatiable appetite for electricity in the world’s most populous nation, Modi has outlined plans to significantly scale up nuclear power generation in the coming years.
Australia claims about 28% of the world’s uranium resource, but legal hurdles and political sensitivities have hindered exports to India.
“We have signed an important agreement today on nuclear energy,” Modi said after talks with his Australian counterpart Anthony Albanese.
“This will pave the way for uranium supplies from Australia to India and give new momentum to our clean energy objectives.”
A joint statement said the arrangement allowed long-term uranium exports for “exclusively peaceful purposes”.
The export will fall under safeguards set by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
“The arrangement facilitates Australian uranium exports to India to help increase the share of non-fossil fuel power capacity,” Albanese told reporters.
India and Australia entered into a nuclear cooperation agreement in 2015, paving the way for uranium exports.
India and Australia have grown considerably closer in recent years, driven in part by a shared desire to keep Beijing’s military ambitions in check while cultivating trade partners outside of China.
Modi and Albanese also agreed to strengthen defense cooperation and to strengthen supply chains for critical minerals.
The two nations would build a “temporary space tracking terminal” on Australia’s Cocos Keeling Islands in the Indian Ocean that will support Indian spaceflight projects, according to a joint statement.
‘Huge demographic changes’
Albanese had a wide grin as the two leaders briefly paused for a selfie earlier in the day.
The Australian prime minister has previously referred to Modi as “The Boss” and joked that he could draw bigger crowds than American rock icon Bruce Springsteen.
Albanese praised Modi’s leadership for helping to forge stronger ties between the two nations.
“Prime Minister Modi, your leadership and personal engagement with Australia has been absolutely central to this change,” Albanese said.
Australia’s Indian diaspora has grown significantly in recent years, giving Modi a significant fan base in the country.
For the first time on record, the largest group of Australian residents born overseas came from India, statistics for last year showed in June.
“In 2014, the Indian diaspora community in Australia was relatively small,” said Teesta Prakash of the Australia India Institute.
“But in 2026 it is now the largest diaspora community in Australia. It has overtaken the British, which is a huge demographic change,” she told AFP.
Modi is set to receive a rock star welcome when he fronts a grassroots rally at a stadium in Melbourne later on Thursday, with organizers expecting more than 20,000 people to flock to the event.
But Modi’s visit is also expected to spark opposition, including criticism that he has fostered a dangerous brand of Hindu nationalism at home.
Australia’s Alliance Against Islamophobia said it would protest outside the stadium event, drawing attention to what it said was the persecution of minority groups in India.
Anti-immigration protesters also gathered ahead of the rally, holding placards calling for “putting Australians first”.
Modi is scheduled to fly to New Zealand after Australia.
